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A transsexual carpenter packed in her business as a successful joiner after becoming a woman - and opening a beauty salon.

Michelle Pindar - born Michael - lived as a man for 38 years before having a sex change, after realising that she was born in the wrong body.

After years of running her own successful kitchen fitting company when she was "Micheal", the 56-year-old packed it all in to open a beauty salon following surgery.

Michelle, from Hull, said: "I loved being a kitchen fitter – I was at the top of my game and the big home improvement stores recommended me to fit all the kitchens they sold.

"But it didn't fit with me when I became a woman.

"I decided I was ready to sell up and look for a new project and that's when I bought the salon.

"Now it's my favourite thing to do to help other women look their best – I'm all about the nails, the hair and the make-up."

(Image: Caters)

Michelle realised at eight years old that she felt more comfortable as a girl than a boy.

"I just had this feeling but I didn't act on it because I hadn't even heard the word transgender or transsexual," she said.

"I did everything I could to be as manly as possible."

(Image: Caters)

Despite knowing something was wrong, she pursued a stereotypically masculine lifestyle expected of her by getting a job in a shipyard, marrying a childhood friend, aged 23, and later opening her own kitchen fitting business.

But 15 years into their marriage, at the age of 38, Michelle, decided to take the plunge and, while pursuing her construction business in the week, she started wearing heels and dresses at weekends.

(Image: Caters)

"It took me a long time but I eventually realised that what I needed to do and I told my wife I needed to start dressing in girls' clothes," she said.

"She handled it well. We couldn't stay together after that but we are still friends."

Four years ago she started dressing as a woman full time and she finally had gender reassignment surgery just under a year ago.

(Image: Caters)

She now runs a beauty salon where she works doing waxing, applying semi-permanent make-up and perfecting women's brows, lashes and hair.

She hopes to encourage more women into project management and construction having seen the business from both a male and a female perspective.

"Now I've seen it from both sides I can appreciate that people don't take women working in the construction industry seriously at all and I'd love to get back into it one day."