A girl who grew up idolising Ariel the Disney sea princess has achieved her dream - and now makes her living as a real life mermaid. Flame-haired Melanie Long, 25, 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 has come resoundingly true after she moved to Phuket, Thailand, five years ago to travel and work as a diver. Initially, Melanie, from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, worked as a scuba diving instructor. The job brought her into contact with a Thai children's charity that were looking for models to dress as mermaids at a gala ball.