Tragic true story of transgender star whose sex assigned at birth was kept secret on dating show

Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community and suicide which some readers may find distressing

Earlier this week, a documentary aired on Channel 4 that explored the situation around the tragic death of a transgender model.

Miriam: Death of a Reality Star, follows the life and experiences of Brazilian model Miriam Rivera, including her controversial appearance on a British reality TV dating show in 2004 and her apparent suicide in 2019.

The Sky reality series involved six men completing physical activities and challenges to fight for the love of the model, with a romantic yacht trip and a £10,000 prize up for grabs.

But the producers didn't tell the men that Miriam was transgender, and the final episode of There's Something About Miriam saw the model reveal her gender identity to them.

Miriam told the group: "I tried to be honest with all of you as much as I can. Yes, I'm from Mexico, I'm a model and I'm 21.

"But, Tom, I really love spending time with you. I love men and I love being a woman. But I'm not a woman, I was born as a man."

The contestants rudely began to laugh as she talked about her gender identity, though friends of the model have since said that this was scripted by the show's producers, who had misjudged the situation.

Now known as one of the most controversial TV moments of the 21st century, this new Channel 4 documentary looks at how that moment ruined her life and interviewed some of those involved.

The model knew from a young age that she was different. (Channel 4)

Born in Mexico in 1981 as a biological male, Miriam began showing signs of gender dysphoria as her brothers enjoyed playing sports like basketball, while she much preferred playing with dolls.

She would later begin to take hormones to change her appearance, to the point where her school suspended her at the age of 12 - following this incident, Miriam came out as transgender and the majority of her family supported her.

While performing in a girl band, UK television producer Remy Blumenfeld spotted her and cast her on the aforementioned reality show, with the six contestants unaware of the fact that she was born as a male.

The reaction of the men on the show, as well as the backlash online, caused the model to step out of the limelight for good after it aired, as contestants even tried to mount a legal case.

They alleged conspiracy to commit sexual assault, defamation, breach of contract, and personal injury in the form of psychological and emotional damage and ultimately settled for an undisclosed amount.

The producers have been blamed for putting Miriam in this position. (Channel 4)

The reaction wasn't the first time where Miriam had to deal with someone reacting badly to her coming out though, as she opened up about the first boy she fell for reacting angrily after finding out she was born male.

He outed her and told everybody in school, while the model also spoke about how she had been taking hormones since being 11-years-old, how she had lived as a woman since 16, and how her father refused to accept her identity.

15 years after the show was aired, on 5 February 2019, Miriam was found dead in her apartment in Mexico.

The police classified her suicide as a suicide by hanging, but her husband Daniel Cuervo said that she was murdered as he had received death threats from someone who said to 'never come back to Mexico' and not to prepare her funeral.

Following the incident, Daniel spoke to Daily Mail Australia, stating: “On the morning of February 5, Miriam called me [in New York] from Mexico, telling me she was feeling sick and vomiting blood, so I told her to get to the hospital.

"She called me again before leaving the hospital at 12pm and that was the last time we spoke.”

Despite her poor treatment from media outlets and the public following the show being aired, there were some shocking interviews in Miriam: Death of a Reality Star.

The contestants were in disbelief and felt betrayed following the news. (Channel 4)

One of these was a psychiatrist hired by the show, specifically to take care of the boys, who said that 'no-one had given a thought to how Miriam might feel.'

"They sold her a dream without anybody telling her what could go wrong. I thought, she's vulnerable, she's had a really really hard life, like a bird with a broken wing," the psychiatrist revealed.

But by far the most shocking interview was from productive executive of There's Something About Miriam, Jo Josun.

She left viewers speechless when she admitted: "I didn't feel anything. I'm in the business of making television shows.

"I didn't feel anything about the format that I felt was bad or wrong. I didn't feel that way, I really didn't. Do I think it went beyond any moral codes of conduct? No."

All episodes of Miriam: Death Of A Reality Star are available to stream on All4 now.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected].

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