A HOLIDAYMAKER is said to have captured the most exciting pictures to date of a monster in Loch Ness.

       But Chie Kelly kept the remarkable images to herself for five years because she was too afraid of being ridiculed.

       5

       Chie Kelly's shots show a giant, eel-like creature slowly spinning on the surface of the loch Credit: Northpix 5

       Kelly kept the remarkable images to herself for five years Credit: Northpix 5

       Translator Chie has shown her photos to an experienced Nessie-hunter Credit: Northpix

       Her shots show a giant, eel-like creature slowly spinning on the surface of the loch, where such sightings have been reported for centuries.

       Translator Chie, 51, was finally inspired to come forward after last weekend’s organised hunt for the fabled Loch Ness monster.

       She showed her photos to an experienced Nessie-hunter who has said they are the most convincing images he has seen in decades.

       Chie said: “I have always believed there was something in Loch Ness. There is something unusual there but I don’t know what it is.

       READ MORE ON LOCH NESS MONSTER

       LOST NESS MONSTER New theory after noises detected in massive hunt for Loch Ness monster

       WATER BEAST Major update in hunt for Loch Ness Monster as 'exciting' discovery made

       “What I saw looked like a serpent. It was definitely a creature and it was moving. At the time I did not want to face public ridicule by making the photographs public.”

       The pictures were taken near the village of Dores, on the eastern shore of the loch, in August 2018, when Japan-born Chie was on holiday in the area with her businessman husband Scott, 68.

       “My husband was originally from the Inverness area and Dores beach is a very special place to me as it where he used to take me when we first met,” said Chie.

       “We had lunch in the Dores Inn and then started walking around.

       Most read in The Sun

       oh baby! Laura Anderson gives birth to baby girl with Gary Lucy and reveals adorable name

       time to heel Real reason for Faye Winter and Maura Higgins' shock NTAs bust-up revealed

       WEDDY OR NOT Where MAFS UK couples are now… savage public dumping to shock 'abuse' claims

       OFF THE BOX Gogglebox couple QUIT as longest-running star stands down after 10 years on air

       “I was just taking pictures with my Canon camera of Scott and our daughter Alisa, who was then five, when about 200 metres from the shore, moving right to left at a steady speed, was this creature.

       “It was spinning and rolling at times. We never saw a head or neck. After a couple of minutes it just disappeared and we never saw it again.

       “At first I wondered if it was an otter or a pair of otters or a seal, but we never saw a head and it never came up again for air.

       “It was making this strange movement on the surface. We did not hear any sound. There were these strange shapes below the surface. I could not make out any colours — the water was dark.

       “I could not accurately assess its length but the two parts that were visible were less than two metres long together.”

       But Chie, who was living in Ascot, Berks, at the time was too nervous to publicise the pictures.

       The family has since moved to near Fortrose on the Black Isle — about 20 miles north of the loch.

       When hundreds of volunteers joined a search for Nessie last weekend, she showed her images to Steve Feltham, who has been hunting the creature for 30 years.

       He said: “These are the most exciting surface pictures I have seen. They are exactly the type of pictures I have been wanting to take for three decades.

       “They are vindication for all the people who believe there is something unexplained in Loch Ness.

       “They are remarkable. I have studied them and still do not know what it is. It is not driftwood.

       “It is a moving creature and totally unexplained.

       “We are lucky the Kellys have decided to go public at last. They are absolutely genuine.”

       5

       Sightings of the fabled Loch Ness monster have been reported for centuries Credit: Getty 5

       The pictures were taken near the village of Dores, on the eastern shore of the loch, in August 2018 Credit: SWNS

       The mystery of Loch Ness has endured for centuries. But experts who tested the water for DNA samples in 2019 suspect that Nessie may be a giant eel.

       The following year, images of a large creature were captured on sonar off Invermoriston by a tourist boat skipper.

       Experts think the creature was about 32ft long.

       Last weekend’s Nessie hunt drew fans from around the world to the 23-mile-long, 755ft-deep loch.

       And a documentary crew using a thermal imaging drone during the search believes it detected a large creature on the bank.

       Read More on The Sun

       OFF THE BOX Gogglebox couple QUIT as longest-running star stands down after 10 years on air

       WRONG-FOOTED My daughter was forced to wear small shoes at school - now she's in agony

       The team from Dragonfly Films will unveil its footage in the season finale of TV series Weird Britain.

       Producer Tim Whittard said: “With this equipment we were able to see immediately if any animal breaks the water’s surface. It did detect an unusual heat signature — a large mass near the shore.”