Rebekah Shelton, a contestant on the tenth season of reality series Big Brother, is in a coma after developing a brain tumour, according to a post made by her family on Twitter.

In 2009, Shelton featured on Big Brother before she transitioned, under the name Rodrigo Lopes.

Shelton’s romantic relationship with fellow contestant Charlie Drummond drew attention from the public when it became the show’s first gay relationship. Drummond was jailed in February after he was involved in an unprovoked violent attack in Newcastle leaving an innocent man with a fractured leg and ankle.

In 2012, Shelton told Heat magazine, “I’ve always felt like I had a woman inside of me, but I used to hide it. I’ve always liked make-up and other womanly things”.

The family of the 27-year-old took to Shelton’s Twitter page to ask fans to pray for her, posting, “Doctors found a head tumour. She is in a coma. We cannot speak anymore. Please just pray for our Rebekah”.