Former World Wrestling Entertainment star Gabbi Tuft has come out as transgender. The 42-year-old, whose ring name was Tyler Reks, shared the news Thursday in a statement on social media. In an Instagram post, she admitted that the months leading to her coming out had been hard, but she learned to accept herself when she stopped caring about what others thought.
"This is the side of me that has hidden in the shadows, afraid and fearful of what the world would think; afraid of what my family, friends, and followers would say or do," she wrote. "I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am."
Tuft explained that the last eight months had been "some of the darkest in my life" but freed herself once she let go of fear.
"The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions," she recalled. "However, the day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light."
Tuft then thanked her wife of 19 years Priscilla, with whom she shares 9-year-old daughter Mia, and her closest friends for their acceptance.
"To them, I am forever grateful," she wrote. "Your support along the way means more than you will ever know."
In an interview with Extra, Tuft opened up about how her coming out has impacted her marriage.
"Our intimate life has changed quite a bit," she says in a teaser clip. "We're not active in that way right now, but what we've discovered is a whole different part of our relationship."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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