Meet Melanie, the real-life mermaid

Melanie Long, 25, from Scotland's Old Kilpatrick, has made a living from being a professional mermaid. A girl who grew up idolizing the Disney sea princess Ariel has achieved her dream - and now makes her living as a real-life mermaid. Flame-haired Long grew up surrounded by murals of Ariel in her bedroom and told anyone who would ask that she wanted to be The Little Mermaid. But unlike most childhood dreams and ambitions, hers came true after she moved to Phuket, Thailand, five years ago to travel and work as a diver. Initially, she worked as a scuba diving instructor. The job brought her into contact with a Thai children's charity that was looking for models to dress as mermaids at a gala ball. She then made a mermaid outfit from scratch, worked on her breathing technique and now makes a living from her dream job. [Photo/CFP]