A young man has hidden the identity of his girlfriend from his family over fears they won't accept the fact that she's transgender.

Dale Brink, 23, fell in love with 21-year-old Hannah Whetton while she was still biologically male, and stood by her as she transformed into the woman she always wanted to be.

But Dale, from Doncaster, South Yorks, feels that his mother and brother won't understand the bond he shares with his partner of 18 months.

Dale Brink (right) fell in love with girlfriend Hannah Whetton (left) when she was still biologically a man. Now Hannah has undergone gender reassignment surgery to become the woman she always felt she was

The couple from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, reckon their experiences have only made their bond stronger, despite keeping Hannah's secret from his parents

He said: 'They wouldn't understand our love. It's hard, but sadly I don't think they'll change.'

Hannah, who was born Aaron, began her transition into womanhood five years ago, and has spent £13,000 on gender reassignment surgery.

Dale, who's a waiter, met and fell in love with Hannah 18 months ago, and the pair quickly became an item - before she had fully completed her gender transition.

Hannah said: 'It's hard because every girl wants to be introduced to their future mother and father-in-law, but for us it's not an option.

'I know Dale doesn't hide me away because he's ashamed of me, it's more because he is trying to protect me.

'We are realistic that although we live in the 21st century, transgender is still hard for older generations to get their heads around.'

Dale says of his family: 'They wouldn't understand our love. It's hard, but sadly I don't think they'll change'

Hannah was born as a boy named Aaron, but she has known she wanted to be a girl since she was five

Hannah splashed out £3,200 on a nose job abroad to make her face more feminine and has invested £3,000 in her wardrobe of clothes for her new life.

She has known she wanted to be a girl since she was just five years old, but she waited ten years before finally telling her mother Carol, 46, a cleaner.

She said: 'When I was five I remember sitting in the bath with my older sister and noticing we had different bits, but I felt like a girl too.

'Even though I was young, I felt exactly the same as my sister and believed I was a girl. So our physical differences confused me.'

Hannah says that when she started senior school, all her friends were girls and she was constantly battered with 'gay boy' and other slurs by class bullies.

In 2010, when she was 16, she started dressing as a woman and in May 2011 started taking female hormones

Hannah and her heterosexual boyfriend Dale met and 'immediately clicked' on a night out in January last year

She said: 'I never fancied anyone when I was male because the thought of being with someone repulsed me.

'I think because I wasn't comfortable in myself, I couldn't even entertain the idea of being with someone else.

'I always just told everyone I was asexual.'

In February 2010, when she was 16, she started dressing as a woman and in May 2011 started taking female hormones.

A few months later her face rounded and she started to notice her hips for the first time.

Hannah and Dale met and 'immediately clicked' on a night out in January last year, and the pair quickly became an item.

Although the pair soon became intimate, Hannah admits she refused to remove her underwear over shame of her male body.

Hannah said she hopes to have children with Dale one day. 'We have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide,' she added

But in July 2014, Hannah had the £13,000 gender reassignment surgery on the NHS at Parkside Hospital in London - months after she started dating Dale.

Dale said: 'Hannah is the one for me. My mum and brother are country folk and they probably wouldn't understand and just take the mickey.

'Until Hannah, I had never even met a trans person before.

'She opened my eyes to a whole new world - but it just goes to show that you fall in love with someone for what's on the inside, not outside.'

Hannah added: 'My boyfriend has told all of his friends that I was born a boy, so I know he's not embarrassed about me, but I do wish he would tell his family.

Dale said of his girlfriend: 'She opened my eyes to a whole new world - but it just goes to show that you fall in love with someone for what's on the inside, not outside'

'We have nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to hide. I spent the first 16 years of my life hiding, I don't want to do it any more.

'Despite the secret, we have never been happier and it's great that we can finally be together properly.

'I never felt right about being in a sexual relationship until I was fully a woman.

'I would love to have kids one day and now that I have met Dale, it's something that could happen for us.