News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A glamorous transgender woman was a virgin until the age of 25 because being "trapped in the wrong body" left her too scared to have sex.

Allysa Call, 35, was born a male twin but realised she felt like a girl at the age of just five.

The blonde beauty started hormone replacement therapy at 17 after coming out at 16 and underwent gender reassignment surgery at 22 before having a breast augmentation a year later.

But even when she was fully transitioned, Allysa, from Exeter, Devon, was terrified of becoming romantically involved or intimate with men for fear of being attacked.

Allysa, who only had her first boyfriend at 33, still feels "10 years behind" her friends as she was transitioning during the spent the years when most people often discover love and sex.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media)

The hospital receptionist and ward clerk said: "I have felt different ever since I can remember. When I was five, I realised I didn't identify as a boy at all.

"All my friends were girls and I never wanted to do things that boys were doing. I wanted to play hopscotch instead of football and with dolls instead of action figures.

"I remember at family reunions my brothers and cousins would all play football and I would just sit on the wall watching because I didn't want to be there with them.

"As I got older how I looked became really confusing because it wasn't how I felt on the inside. I felt trapped in the wrong body.

"As a teen I knew I was attracted to guys but I never let myself explore those feelings. By brain not matching my body made me too insecure."

(Image: Mercury Press & Media)

She continued: "Then in those formative late teen and early 20s years when people do start to explore their sexuality and have relationships, I was just trying to become who I always should have been.

"Even once I had transitioned I shied away from relationships and being intimate with men for a long time out of fear of being attacked. Being a transgender woman can be terrifying.

"I feel like I am 10 years behind my friends in terms of relationships and experience and sometimes I still feel like that sensitive 16-year-old trying to figure out who I am - and I worry men will take advantage of that naivety."

Last year alone 605 transgender people were the victims of transphobic hate crimes in England and Wales.

But Allysa said her fear of being attacked for her transgender status doesn't just stem from statistics but her own experience of bullying and verbal and physical abuse throughout her life.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media)

At school she claims she was isolated by bullies who branded her a "sissy" and "poofter", which she said made her so depressed that she often contemplated suicide.

And as an adult Allysa, who is a vegan and animal rights activist, said she has also experienced transphobic taunts being shouted at her in the street.

Allysa said: "I had a small group of close friends but other than that I was completely isolated by people at school and was seriously bullied.

"Other kids would shout sissy and poofter at me. It was really hard. I didn't know where to turn or what to do. And at the same time I was tormented by this feeling of being in the wrong body.

"I had some really dark times and when I did go through an especially bad stage I would think about taking my own life.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media)

"At first I was so scared I tried to keep it to myself and I didn't tell anyone at work but these things come out.

"Now I'm determined to be out there and open with everyone. I don't have to apologise for who I am or for who I was and what I have been through."

Being the victim of transphobic abuse made Allysa want to conceal the fact she had been born a boy and for a long time she only told close friends and family members.

But living in fear of people finding out about her past made it even harder to form relationships.

In the last year, with the support of her friends and family, Allysa has developed the confidence to be completely open about being transgender.

But she claims her openness backfired when prospective partners on online dating apps would ask to see her naked before deciding whether to date her.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media)

Despite her bad experiences, Allysa is determined to find love - but will not be using her twin brother Matthew Call as a wingman as they both fancy the same type of guy.

Allysa said: "It's taken me more than 10 years to pluck up the courage to feel like I can just be me and be open about it.

"Trying to form any kind of relationship when you're so terrified of what will happen if you're completely honest about your past is impossible.

"So I decided I was going to be totally honest with everyone and I started telling guys I was planning to go on dates with who I'd met through online dating.

"But a lot of them saw that as an opportunity to objectify me. They would ask for naked photos to make sure I looked 'genuine' enough so their friends would never know about my past.

(Image: Mercury Press & Media)

"Now I have a two date rule. If a guy makes it to the end of the second date and I want to see him again then I will tell him about what I've been through.

"If he doesn't like it then he doesn't have to see me again. I'm just like anyone else, I just want to be loved and accepted for who I am."

Allysa, who has two other brothers and four sisters, said she would not have made it this far without the support of her siblings and mum Janet Call, 62.

Janet, a former suitcase factory worker and single mum, has stood by her daughter every step of the way and said there is nothing better than seeing Allysa finally happy in herself.

Janet said: "When Allysa first told me she thought she might be transgender, she was 16 and I thought it might be phase because she grew up with a lot of sisters.

"But when we started talking about doctors and hormone therapy I knew this was what she really wanted. It's just something we have grown with as a family.

"She is my daughter and I will love her no matter what. As long as she's happy, I'm happy and I've never seen her this happy before.

"She is finally who she should be on the outside and she's exactly the same person on the inside as she always was. It's lovely to see."