Transgender boxing promoter Kellie Maloney has said that she went public with her transition because newspapers had threatened to out her.

The promoter and manager of Lennox Lewis – previously known as Frank Maloney – revealed on Sunday that she is transgender in an interview with the Mirror.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain today, Maloney revealed that she was hounded by the press for months while trying to keep her transition private.

She said: “It wasn’t my intention [to speak out]

I wanted the transition very privately because of my family – they are going through a lot as well and I wanted them protected.

“Unfortunately someone exposed me at a group which I was going to – I was indoors and got that dreaded knock on my door, and it was journalist – I won’t say from which paper.

“I denied all knowledge of it and they said they were going to run the story on the Sunday, so I got my lawyers involved and we had to threaten injunctions.

“That was going on in February and we kept it under control and six weeks ago another newspaper turned up at my house, then they turned up at my daughter’s house, and turned up at all members of my family’s house.

“I said, ‘look, I’m living in the shadow, I’m living in the dark, I can’t go out of my house no more and I’m terrified’ and my head was getting so confused about it.

“I said I’d only do this as long as I’ve got control because previously transgender people have been ridiculed in the press and I didn’t want that to happen to me and I didn’t want it to happen to others because it would terrify others of coming out.

“So we built a relationship with the Sunday Mirror and they handled it very well and it came out and since then it’s exploded, but it was never my intention.

“My intention was just to bring a book out in 18 months when I had completely transitioned and my family had got used to it because they are under terrible pressure at the moment.”