The couple and their children have claimed they remain as happy as ever

A transgender father has described the emotional moment he received his wife and children's blessings to transition into a woman.

Steven Saunders, 55, broke down when he confessed to his wife and 'soulmate' Josie that he could no longer fight his urge to wear woman's clothes.

But instead of being taken aback, Josie responded with unwavering compassion - and took her 6ft1in partner clothes shopping to buy women's outfits.

A transgender father has described the emotional moment he received his wife and children's blessings to transition into a woman. Steven Saunders (pictured in pink, as Pamela) broke down when he confessed to his wife and 'soulmate' Josie (second from left) that he could no longer fight his urge to wear woman's clothes

Now transitioning from Steven to Pamela, Pamela - who prefers the pronoun 'she' - admits Josie had been aware of her habit of buying and wearing women's underwear, The Mirror reported.

However, her announcement she would switch from wearing just women's underwear to dressing completely as a woman came out of the blue.

Pamela, from Glastonbury, Somerset, said: 'I was talking to Josie and putting on women's clothes just came out of the blue. It unleashed the floodgates.

'All of a sudden, everything made sense in my life. I thought back to when I was 12 and my mum gave me two tops to wear. And how I was happier in female company growing up.'

To help with her fear of stepping out in public dressed as a woman, she attended meetings for transgender people, which she described as 'nerve-wracking'.

Josie and Steven, who have been together for 18 years and wed in 2006, claim to have a loving connection that goes beyond just physical attraction and say they are as happy as ever

Now transitioning from Steven (left) to Pamela (right), Pamela - who prefers the pronoun 'she' - admits Josie had been aware of her habit of buying and wearing women's underwear

The couple, who have been together for 18 years and wed in 2006, claim to have a loving connection that goes beyond just physical attraction and say they are as happy as ever.

Josie says she reacted well to her husband's revelation, describing Pamela as still the same person she married, just happier on the inside.

Describing their first shopping trip together as 'scary and exciting' she was convinced shop assistants would figure out the clothes weren't for her.

But after returning home, she said Pamela enjoyed trying on all her new clothing.