A young woman who was fed through a tube for the first decade of her life has died aged 26, her family have announced.

In a case which baffled medical experts across the world, Tia-Mae McCarthy had to receive all her vital nutrients through a tube while she slept for the first 10 years of her life.

Her unexplained aversion to food was the subject of a TV documentary as her mother Sue desperately searched for answers, even travelling abroad to get her daughter help.

The mystery was never solved, but eventually Tia surprised her family when she started eating at age 10 - and by 15 she had a normal diet and appetite.

Tragically she died suddenly on April 28, with her mother, Sue McCarthy, finding her unresponsive in her bed.

Her cause of death is not known yet and more tests are being carried out to ascertain how she died.

Tia's family are now fundraising to organise a celebration of life to 'honour Tia with the send-off she truly deserves'.

Tia was born 12 weeks premature, weighed a tiny 2lb 3oz and had a rare congenital disorder - oesophageal atresia - which meant her oesophagus and stomach did not connect.

Tia-Mae McCarthy (pictured) received all her vital nutrients through a tube while she slept for the first 10 years of her life

Her unexplained aversion to food was the subject of a TV documentary as her mother Sue (pictured together) desperately searched for answers, even travelling abroad to get her daughter help

Tia is pictured when she started eating and drinking for the first time in her life having previously been fed through a tube

She spent most of her first year in hospital and had to have an operation when she was three months old to move her stomach into her chest.

While Tia did have other disabilities, there was no medical reason after the surgery why she could not eat food and her case baffled the experts.

Her mother suspected it was a psychological problem that stemmed from the early months of her life where Tia stopped breathing multiple times and had to be resuscitated.

But nothing they tried could convince the youngster to eat anything.

Tia was featured in a documentary, The Girl Who Never Ate, in 2006 when she was seven and her mother took her to a specialist clinic in Austria.

The controversial research programme even included periods of controlled starvation.

Eventually when she was ten, Tia suddenly started showing an interest in food. Ms McCarthy was amazed when she offered her daughter some yoghurt and she said yes.

She started eating all kinds of soft foods - soup, custard, ice cream and mousse - and eventually had the tube she had once relied on to keep her alive removed in December 2012.

By the time she was 15 she ate completely normally, with salmon, venison and scallops among her favourite foods.

While Tia (pictured)) did have other disabilities, there was no medical reason after the surgery why she could not eat food and her case baffled the experts

Tia is pictured as a seven-year-old girl alongside her mother, Sue McCarthy

Tia was featured in a documentary, The Girl Who Never Ate, in 2006 when she was seven and her mother took her to a specialist clinic in Austria

Although she was still monitored by a dietician to check her weight, what she was eating and if any additional supplements were needed.

Because of her disabilities, Tia could never live independently and still lived at the family home in Alderholt, Dorset.

Her brother Fin, 22, said: 'There was nothing abnormal, she had a bit of a cough, but was otherwise well.

'Her mindset was a lot younger than her physical age, so she couldn't live independently or have a job but she had a very full life. She loved horse riding and she was really into her arts and crafts.

'It's a real shock to all of us that she's gone.

'Everyone loved Tia, she put a smile on everybody's faces. She brightened every room she entered and to lose her so unexpectedly has been incredibly difficult for all who loved her.

'She didn't have an easy childhood, she faced many medical challenges in her short life, but whatever life threw at her she just took it on. She never let it dim her spirit or sense of humour.

'We are not a religious family and she wouldn't have wanted a traditional funeral so we're hoping to organise more of a celebration of life.

'We will ask everyone to wear orange and yellow, because they were Tia's favourite colours.

'We want to honour Tia with the send-off she truly deserves - one to reflect the joy she brought to us and to show our immense love for her.'