A pair of childhood friends who played football together as boys are set to marry years as man and wife after reuniting when one of them underwent gender reassignment surgery. \r
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Christopher Dodd, 24, and Fay Purdham, 27, are now a couple, with the latter transitioning to become a woman at the age of 23.\r
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The pair, who now live in South Bank, Middlesbrough, grew up together as boys before losing touch as teenagers. \r
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Soon after they parted ways Fay, who was born Kevin, started her transition to becoming a woman by taking hormones. \r
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They reunited at a party years later and are now planning their dream wedding. \r
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When I saw Fay again, I was gob smacked by how beautiful she was and I fell for her immediately, said Mr Dodd, who is studying chemistry at Middlesbrough University. \r
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It took me some time to get my head around the f that she used to be my best friend Kevin but I have never looked at her in any other way other than the f she is a gorgeous woman. \r
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The pair were inseparable as children and spent endless hours playing football. Christopher was my best friend in the world when I younger.\r
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We used to be together all the time from when I was about nine going on 10 – he was a close family friend – and we spent hours together playing boy games when I was Kevin, Miss Purdham said.\r
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But even as a young boy she said she knew she was slightly different. \r
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I used to play with cars and guns and play sports like my friends, but I also loved playing with dolls. \r
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Aged 12, she realised she was gay and came out to her family after spending years dressing up in her sisters clothes in wigs secretly. \r
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From then the youngster became increasingly feminine, saving up her pocket money to buy womens clothes and experimenting with make-up. \r
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Aged 16 she began taking hormones to begin her physical transformation, by which point Christopher had already moved away with his family. \r
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I had gradually stopped playing with Christopher and he had moved away anyway, added Miss Purdham. \r
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It was sad and I missed him but I didnt think him, being a boy, would understand what was going on. \r
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When I started to transition from about the age of 16, I lost touch with him and didnt see him again for several years. \r
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In f the couple did not meet again until Mr Dodds 21st birthday when Miss Purdham, who is unemployed, turned up with her sister. \r
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As soon as he saw me, he came over to me, she recalled. \r
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He had heard through family that Id had surgery to become a woman but the last time hed seen me I was Kevin.\r
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His first words were: God you look different and we both burst out laughing.\r
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Now he had really grown into a handsome young man and I was very attred to him right from the start – plus I had that feeling that he was also liking me too.\r
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“We sat talking for ages about the old days and then suddenly, he kissed me - and it felt like the right thing to do. \r
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They began dating, with Mr Dodd eager to understand more about his new girlfriends transformation. \r
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He was curious about it all of course and a little afraid, I think. It was all new to him and the f that I had been a boy and we had been so close at one time was a little difficult to get his head around.\r
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But he never ever treats me little anything less than the woman I am and hes very respectful of me. \r
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They are now engaged and are planning a family, with Miss Purdham having frozen her sperm before undergoing gender reassignment surgery. \r
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We are so excited for our future. I still cant believe that all this is happening – and that Christopher has fallen in love with me given our backgrounds.\r
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I feel very lucky that fate crossed our paths again. Hes definitely the man of my dreams – and I know Im his girl.\r
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Music : Sardana by Kevin MacLeod\r
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