Tamzin Outhwaite has gushed over her son Flo as he turned 18 this week, as the former EastEnders star’s father Colin also issued a tear-jerking tribute
Tamzin shared a sweet message with her eldest child(Image: Brett Cove/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
Tamzin Outhwaite has praised her trans son, Flo, as he turned 18. The actress, best known for playing Mel Owen in BBC One’s EastEnders, shares her two children, son Flo, 18, and Marnie, 12, with her former husband, Tom Ellis, from whom she separated in 2014.
In recent years, Tamzin, 55, has been extremely open about her family and has accepted Flo, who came out and said he identified as a boy at around ages 10 and 11. But on Wednesday, as Flo turned 18, Tamzin and her father, Colin, took to social media to honour the budding actor.
In an emotional message, Tamzin said she was “proud” of her eldest child. Sharing a string of snaps of Flo, she said: “Happy 18th birthday to my incredible 1st born @floellisouthwaite who deserves all the goodness this world has to offer, and all the joy coming to him!
“I could not be more proud of you. You inspire, surprise and astound me daily. Your kindness, heart, dedication, determination, resilience, humour, courage, talent, work ethic, passion, grace, positivity…. (I could go on) are a joy to behold! What you have already achieved in these first 18 years is amazing.”
She went on to add: “I love you SO MUCH… Here’s to YOU my darling. May adulthood bring you peace, happiness & the success you so deserve.” Replying to his mother, Flo said: “Love you mother,” alongside a red heart emoji. Tamzin replied: “@floellisouthwaite Love the very funny, talented bones of you darling.”
Tamzin’s father, Colin, also took to the comment section, sharing an emotional message to his grandson. Colin said: “I’ve feared for you for 18 years. I need never have worried. Thanks for educating me and being such a special grandson.” Elsewhere, Tamzin’s famous pals also wished Flo a happy birthday.
“Happy 18th Birthday Flo!” said Heidi Range. Emma Bunton added: “Happy birthday Flo,” alongside a red heart emoji. Nicole Appleton said: “Ahhh Happy Birthday Flo! Have the most wonderful day!”
Tamzin hadn’t spoken about her son’s identity, but last year, she spoke openly about Flo. Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe, she said: “I’ve got two kids. I did have two daughters and now I have a son and a daughter. That’s quite easy for me to say now, but it wasn’t maybe six or seven years ago.
“The maddest thing is I suppose that it’s not the most interesting thing about him. He’s an incredibly funny, intelligent boy, and I’m watching him grow into a wonderful human who’s very talented.
“To see him thriving is just nothing but relief and joy for me really because there were some dark times.” Reflecting on Flo coming out as trans, Tamzin said it was a “very distressing time”. She said: “Until you’re going through it yourself with your child, it’s difficult to judge the situation.
“Initially, I would say, don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t say don’t be ridiculous but my mind went, ‘that’s ludicrous’. Working back from that with talking, family therapy, therapy on Flo’s side as well, talking with family and realising you’re not alone.
“I think if you push back on a kid, they’ll want to do the opposite of what their parent says. I didn’t say ‘you can’t be that’, but it was a distressing time. We worked together as a family and with outside help.”
Rob Beckett added: “You can’t do everything to make them happy. It’s in them and there’s other things at play. Having to let things take their course…” Tamzin replied: “Yeah, time and action, but also being sensitive and, you know…. The whole LGBT community get a bit of a hard rap at the moment – it’s quite tough, I think. It is a hot topic.”
Josh went on to say: “It’s almost like you’ve been in sync with that topic becoming a public debate,’ referring to the prominent discussion of trans issues in the media.” Tamzin went on to reply: “Kind of, yeah. Every situation is completely different, every child is different, it really is less than one per cent of the population.
“There’s this big up in arms thing. It’s not that common, just because…. But I’m just so happy for him. I’m happy that we’re in a place and he’s in a place that he is just…. I mean, he’s an incredible actor. He’s desperate to be a comedy writer. I was only allowed to talk about it on this podcast.”
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