A grieving father yesterday paid tribute to his daughter who died tragically of a brain haemorrhage, aged just 18.

David Southern said daughter Michelle, of West Avenue, Clacton, had just started her first full-time job.

And she was planning to surprise her boyfriend Mark Thirlwell by taking him house hunting on the day she died.

Mr Southern said the couple would have been very happy together.

Michelle was a diabetic and had to inject herself three times a day. But her father said this was not the cause of her death.

She was found by her boyfriend Mark when he returned home from work last Tuesday morning. A post mortem examination established she had died from a brain haemorrhage.

Mr Southern said Michelle had just started work as an assistant at Russell House Care Home in Clacton.

She had also been looking at mortgages and had been planning to surprise Mark by taking him looking for a home on the day she died.

Michelle was diagnosed with diabetes when she was six.

Mr Southern said: "She spent 18 months out of three-and-a-half years in and out of hospital because they found it hard to control the diabetes."

She had recently been in hospital for a chest infection which could have affected the diabetes.

Mr Southern added: "She said to me ten weeks ago 'I'm going to prove them all wrong, dad', and she did."

Michelle had been a pupil at Colbayns School where her favourite subjects were art and drama.

Mr Southern said he had received a letter of sympathy from Michelle's PE teacher as well as a phone call from deputy head Bill Barnard.

She leaves four brothers - David, Gary, Danny and Bobby - a stepbrother, Jamie, a sister, Isabelle and one stepsister, Chantelle, as well as her mother, Christine, stepfather Dave and stepmother Tracey.

Michelle's hobbies included needlecraft, puzzles and she liked music of Celine Dion. She also enjoyed watching Jerry Springer on television.

Mr Southern added: "Her and Mark would have had an excellent life together."

Michelle's funeral is being held at Weeley Crematorium at 9.30am today and all friends are welcome to attend.

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