Graham Hopwood and his spouse, Catherine, say their marriage is stronger than ever since Catherine changed genders.

Catherine transitioned to a man named Cathan over the past year, and has received support from his husband of 12 years.

The 48-year-old said he never felt comfortable in his body, and felt early on that he was meant to be a boy.

"From the age of seven I knew I didn't feel comfortable around other girls playing with dolls," Cathan told The Mirror. "I wanted to be with the boys playing war games and football. To make matters worse, I was never like a normal girl down below. Today I would have been diagnosed early on as 'intersex' but in those days this whole subject was taboo."

Cathan said he was bullied by classmates, and did not have any successful relationships with men as he grew older. When he met Graham, however, things were different.

"From the very beginning we both felt we could talk to each other openly," Graham, 68, shared. "Catherine was so different from anyone I'd met before. Warm, caring, supportive and loving. We moved in together and knew it felt right."

While his personal life was improving, Cathan still felt that he was in the wrong body.

"I always knew that Catherine wasn't happy with her body so when she opened up to me about wanting to be a man I wasn't all that surprised," Graham said. "I wanted to help her to be happier in herself."

After speaking to a post-op female to male transsexual, Cathan decided to have a bilateral mastectomy and began taking testosterone. He travelled to Poland for the £3,000 surgery.

"I was so relieved," Cathan said. "For the first time it felt like I could finally be myself. I felt liberated."

Graham said that Catherine's transition to Cathan was not a hard adjustment for him to make.

"Inside Cathan is still the same person I met and fell for," he explained. 

He added: "The only confusion we have these days is knowing what to call him.  I can't say wife any more so I usually say partner."