A transgender woman who had surgery at the age of 64 has spoken of her incredible journey.

Jenny-Anne Bishop, born Paul, is finally comfortable in her own skin after more than half a century ‘pretending’ to be male.

The 71-year-old, who works for the LGBT Foundation in Manchester, was born in 1946 - when it was still a crime to be gay and being transgender was a virtually unknown concept.

(Image: Jenny-Anne Bishop)

Jenny-Anne finally had gender confirmation surgery at 64.

“I woke up in this incredible state of euphoria,” she said. “I hadn’t realised how important the surgery was to me. I still have much of that euphoria.”

Jenny-Anne now lives with wife Elen Heart, who was born a man but now lives as a woman.

(Image: Jenny-Anne Bishop)

The couple married in 2011 - before gay marriage was legalised - after Elen decided not to have surgery. They married, in the eyes of the law, as a hetrosexual couple.

Jenny-Anne radiates self-confidence. But that hasn’t always been the case. She spent years struggling to suppress her femininity.

“In the past I had to present myself as male, but I have always been female,” she said.

(Image: Jenny-Anne Bishop)

“Society’s expectations of me meant I had to pretend to be a boy for many years.”

Jenny-Anne started expressing her femininity as a child, but her experimentation was strongly discouraged.

Her teachers and parents said it was ‘naughty’ and ‘wicked’ behaviour.

“From a very young age I was borrowing my mum’s clothes,” Jenny-Anne said. “I was practicing to be the women I knew I would be.

(Image: Jenny-Anne Bishop)

“I was given an educational book about sex. There was a section about transvestites. They were just described as ‘deviants’. The book advised that if you had those feelings to take cold showers and go for long runs to get rid of it.

“I was a part of the cross country team. I didn’t manage to run it out of me.”

Jenny-Anne said she was forced to try to conform and play the role of a man as she grew up.

At 23, she married a woman in order to ‘fulfill her male persona’. The marriage was initially very happy.

Jenny-Anne’s wife knew about her cross dressing - and even altered outfits for her.

“She asked me if I died would I want to be buried as male or female,” she said. “Without even thinking I said as Jenny-Anne because that is who I am.

“I think that is when the penny dropped for her and she realised I wanted to permanently be the woman I knew I was.”

The couple went on to have two children.

Jenny-Anne said: “I promised her I would never transition while we were together. My priority was her and the children and that I would not be myself for their sakes.

“The arrangement worked because we were married another 20-odd years.”

Jenny-Anne said the marriage eventually broke down after she was fired from jobs on five occasions. She said she was ostracised because of transphobia.

Each time Jenny-Anne lost her job, the family had to rebuild their lives.

Speaking about her experiences, she said: “I’d been to a support group in Manchester, so I was dressed as Jenny-Anne.

“The police happened to be doing a road block to check for stolen cars. The officer was furious at what I was wearing. He asked me if I was allowed to drive a company car dressed as that.

(Image: Will Peters)

“I said it I was allowed to use my car for leisure and there are no laws saying I can’t drive my car wearing what I want.

“The next day the officer rang my company to ask if I was allowed to drive their car dressed as a woman.

“At work, I started to get notes saying it was time I looked for another job. Essentially, I got bullied out. I lost my job five times because of someone outing me as trans.

“It felt so unfair that it was always me who would lose my job instead of the company getting rid of the transphobic people.”

Constant moving and job troubles led to divorce. Jenny-Anne is no longer in contact with her ex-wife or children.

But she says she is happy because she’s doing what comes naturally to her - and is settled with ‘soul mate’ Elen, who she met at a New Year’s Eve party in 2003.

“We became friends first, and then the friendship turned into something slightly more romantic,” Jenny-Anne said.

“We have a deep understanding of one another. When I look at her I feel like the love pours off me. She is absolutely my soulmate.”

Elen has decided not to have surgery, but lives as a woman.

“It doesn’t matter to me how she is dressed or what her body is,” Jenny-Anne said. “To me she’s simply Elen.”

Jenny-Anne now works with police and council bosses to raise awareness of trans issues. She was awarded an OBE for her public work in 2015.

“I used to be threatened by the police for being transgender, now I have meetings with the Chief Constable about how we can best help the trans community,” she says.