Brianna Ghey: 'My daughter was fearless to be who she wanted to be'

The heartbroken mother of Brianna Ghey has said she will never get over the death of her "fearless" daughter, which has left a hole in her heart.

The 16-year-old, who was transgender, was stabbed 28 times in Culcheth Linear Park in Cheshire in February.

Two teenagers, known only as girl X and boy Y because of their ages, have been convicted of her murder.

Speaking before the verdicts, Esther Ghey said she would never forget her daughter's unwavering bravery.

"She was fearless to be whoever she wanted to be," she told the BBC.

"She wanted to identify as a female, and she wanted to wear girls' school uniform.

"She just did it - it wasn't a hurdle at all for her."

By the age of 16, Brianna had already gone some way towards achieving her dream of being famous.

She had gained a large following on TikTok, often posting make-up tutorials.

Warning: Some readers might find the following report distressing

But her life was cut short on the afternoon of 11 February when Brianna was lured to a park and killed in broad daylight.

Ms Ghey had tears in her eyes as she remembers the day she found out about her daughter's death.

"I was out walking the dogs with my partner," she said.

"We noticed there was a very high police presence in our area and then police in our street as well.

"I sort of joked - 'if Brianna doesn't come home soon I'll have to ring the police'.

"And when we got to the front door, the door was open and there were two policemen stood in the house."

The days and weeks after her daughter's death were a blur.

"The only way I can describe it is, there's a hole in my heart," she said.

"I know for a fact I will never get over this."

Ms Ghey said her initial reaction was to hide away, and the family even considered moving house.

But when friends told her about the vigils being held in Brianna's memory, it began to provide a small glimmer of comfort.

"It changed my view on everything," she said.

"It made me feel like there is good out there.

"Brianna wanted to be famous and in a really sad way, she is now."

Finding out that one of Brianna's killers was someone she knew - and considered a friend - was particularly painful.

"I felt at the time that was the worst possible thing that could have happened," she says.

"Knowing that it's somebody she trusted."

Emma Mills, head teacher at Birchwood Community High School where Brianna was a pupil, recalled how "Brianna didn't want to conform like other students".

"She would come in wearing the latest fashions, handbags or different coloured nails," she said.

Following her killing, there was a lot of speculation online, which Ms Mills says was difficult for the pupils.

"It was incredibly difficult for her friends and peers in school to read things about her that weren't true." she said.

She added: "There was lots of insinuation and accusation about bullying, about hatred towards Brianna.

"There was never any evidence of Brianna being bullied either within or outside school.

"Anyone who said anything to her would have got a short, sharp response.

"She didn't live her life as a victim, and it was quite hard to see her portrayed in a way that wasn't true to her."

Ms Ghey and Ms Mills have since joined forces in a bid to bring mindfulness into schools, through a campaign called Peace in Mind.

"I thought that we need this in schools because I knew how much it had helped me," Ms Ghey said.

"It has helped with my mental resilience, and I knew that it had helped me through my initial stages of grief as well."

They hope to raise enough money to train one teacher in mindfulness in every school in the country and eventually want to change the national curriculum to include health and wellbeing.

For Ms Mills, she hopes mindfulness will help build resilience in children as they grow up in a world of social media, something many became more reliant on during the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's a generation of children that are growing up in a way that no other children have ever grown up before, and we don't really know what the impact of that will be in the long run," she said.

Brianna struggled with mental health conditions including anxiety and an eating disorder.

Throughout it all, Ms Ghey described her daughter as "brave and strong".

The bereaved mother's desire to help children like Brianna, who struggle with their mental health, even extends to her killers.

"If they were happy and they had peace of mind, then they wouldn't have wanted to commit a crime like this," she said.

"I hope that they get the help that they need when they are in prison because they will be released and they will be members of society again.

"I don't think that we'll get anywhere by hating each other, I think that we need to show some love and compassion to each other - and that's the only way that we can make society better."

She now hopes to build on her daughter's legacy, bringing some positivity into the world.

"If something so horrific happens, then maybe something really good could come out of it," she said.

"I just feel that Brianna's death can't be for nothing."

Additional reporting by Becky Holmes and Lauren Hirst.

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