At the age of 13 he began to realise he was different when instead of his voice breaking at puberty, he began to grow breasts.
From the age of 13, Charli Darling knew he was different to other boys his age.
Rather than enduring the embarrassment of his voice breaking, the teenager faced another, altogether more difficult change – he began to grow breasts.
His hips began to develop, taking on a more feminine silhouette, leaving him feeling like a freak.
harles Darling was born with male genitals, and raised as a boy by his parents
Charles Darling was born with male genitals, and raised as a boy by his parents
He hid his body under baggy clothes for the next five years, struggling to come to terms with the changes to his body.
Now 38, and choosing to live as a woman, named Charli, she aims to raise awareness of the rare condition that caused her to grow into a woman, Kleinefelter’s syndrome
But, at the age of 18, doctors revealed he was suffering the very rare Klinefelter’s syndrome – a condition which means he was born with an extra female chromosome.
When he was born with male genitals, his parents named him Charles, and brought him up as a boy.
But since embracing his new identity, and choosing to live as a woman, she now goes by the name of Charli.
At the age of 21, she felt obliged to undergo a breast reduction operation, to placate family members who were eager to hide her secret.
But, Charli’s breasts grew back.
‘I didn’t feel anything like a man, I never had an Adam’s apple, my voice never broke, instead I had feminine hips and breasts.
The rare condition means Charli was born with an extra X chromosome, and as a result when he reached puberty he failed to produce the normal levels of testosterone
The rare condition means Charli was born with an extra X chromosome, and as a result when he reached puberty he failed to produce the normal levels of testosterone
‘My sister who was one year younger than me was developing breasts at the same time as me, which was really weird.
‘At first it was so confusing because I’d grown up as a boy, but I felt like a woman, I didn’t know who I could talk to.’
When Charli, from Salford, Manchester was 18 she would leave the house dressed as a boy, before transforming into a girl in the toilets at her local train station.
She said it was being diagnosed with Klinefelter’s syndrome that gave her the confidence to live as a woman.
‘I didn’t decide to be a woman I grew into one naturally – all because of Klinefelter’s Syndrome,’ she said.
‘For me I’ve always felt like a woman and could never see a man when I looked in the mirror.
Now I’m much stronger as a person and have accepted who I am – being intersex isn’t a phase and I’m not going to change.’
Rather than enduring the embarrassment of his voice breaking, the teenager faced another, altogether more difficult change – he began to grow breasts.
His hips began to develop, taking on a more feminine silhouette, leaving him feeling like a freak.
harles Darling was born with male genitals, and raised as a boy by his parents
Charles Darling was born with male genitals, and raised as a boy by his parents
He hid his body under baggy clothes for the next five years, struggling to come to terms with the changes to his body.
Now 38, and choosing to live as a woman, named Charli, she aims to raise awareness of the rare condition that caused her to grow into a woman, Kleinefelter’s syndrome
But, at the age of 18, doctors revealed he was suffering the very rare Klinefelter’s syndrome – a condition which means he was born with an extra female chromosome.
When he was born with male genitals, his parents named him Charles, and brought him up as a boy.
But since embracing his new identity, and choosing to live as a woman, she now goes by the name of Charli.
At the age of 21, she felt obliged to undergo a breast reduction operation, to placate family members who were eager to hide her secret.
But, Charli’s breasts grew back.
‘I didn’t feel anything like a man, I never had an Adam’s apple, my voice never broke, instead I had feminine hips and breasts.
The rare condition means Charli was born with an extra X chromosome, and as a result when he reached puberty he failed to produce the normal levels of testosterone
The rare condition means Charli was born with an extra X chromosome, and as a result when he reached puberty he failed to produce the normal levels of testosterone
‘My sister who was one year younger than me was developing breasts at the same time as me, which was really weird.
‘At first it was so confusing because I’d grown up as a boy, but I felt like a woman, I didn’t know who I could talk to.’
When Charli, from Salford, Manchester was 18 she would leave the house dressed as a boy, before transforming into a girl in the toilets at her local train station.
She said it was being diagnosed with Klinefelter’s syndrome that gave her the confidence to live as a woman.
‘I didn’t decide to be a woman I grew into one naturally – all because of Klinefelter’s Syndrome,’ she said.
‘For me I’ve always felt like a woman and could never see a man when I looked in the mirror.
Now I’m much stronger as a person and have accepted who I am – being intersex isn’t a phase and I’m not going to change.’
