Trans woman embraces new life after years of ‘wishing to be like her wife’

Cherylin Hall, 57, has taken the bold step of living proudly as a woman after her wife died of cancer. Cherylin, from Corby, Northamptonshire, hid away her true self for decades, only dressing as a woman in private. She claims that she married her wife, Theresa, partly because she “wanted to be her”. The 57-year-old said she always knew was a woman and wanted to dress like one. However, growing up in the 1970s, Cherylin only dressed in women’s clothes when no one else was around out of fear for her own safety. She explained: “When I was young, there wasn’t a name for people like me. I grew up sort of cross-dressing and wearing make-up. “There’s no way I could go out wearing a dress and be the real me. But I’ve always imagined myself being a female growing up.” JUST IN: Police given emergency powers to lockdown London high street to stop looting Theresa, who died from breast cancer, had supported Cherylin behind close doors (Image: PA) She continued: “When people ask me ‘When did you first become a woman?,’ the truth is, I’ve always been a woman. “But, how do you put it over to people that you’re really female? How can I convince people that I am genuinely female inside?” She met Theresa in a pub when she was 23. Cherylin said: “It’s exactly what I wanted, and what I wanted to be. I think that’s some of the reason why I fell in love with her – I wanted to be her.” However, it was not until after Theresa’s tragic death in 2019 that Cherylin decided to take the plunge and ask for a referral to a gender identity clinic. Cherylin Hall, 57, has taken the bold step of living proudly as a woman in the real world (Image: PA) Theresa, who died from breast cancer, had supported Cherylin behind closed doors, such as helping her shop for dresses. She said that Theresa’s death made her realise that life was “far too short” to not live an authentic life. Reckoning with her wife’s death, Cherylin said: “I spent that year knowing that I was no longer going to be Tony, I was going to become Cherylin. “Throughout that whole year, obviously, I’m still grieving but also filled with excitement.” Months after Theresa’s death, in September 2019, Cherylin visited her GP regarding her struggles with her gender identity and was referred to her local gender identity clinic. Cherylin visited her GP regarding her struggles with her gender identity (Image: GETTY) Cherylin, who skipped the four-year waiting list on the NHS and chose a private practice, was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and prescribed hormone replacement therapy. She is currently waiting for ‘bottom surgery’, or vaginoplasty, which costs around £18,000. Cherylin told her children in November 2019 that she was going to ‘become Cherylin’ in January 2020. However, despite the newfound freedom, she says she still feels “vulnerable” when she goes outside. She added: “I am still met with a lot of resistance. Whenever I’m out, you’ll see couples poke each other in the back and sort of laugh and giggle, and I can imagine what they’re saying. “But I just have to be me, and I have to put on this brave face and pretend everything’s alright. “I think trans women have a valid place in this world. We’re just misunderstood.”