Lady Of The Hunt: Former Huntmaster's Transgender Journey

A successful businessman living on a 40-acre farm in North Yorkshire with his wife and two children, life appeared to be rosy. 

But despite the trappings of his success, the 55-year-old had a secret he carried around with him every waking moment - inside he felt he was a woman.

Graham - who now goes by the name of Sue - was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in August 2014.

And while Sue feared she would lose everything by transitioning, the need to become a woman was all-encompassing.  

As a result, she was left devastated when doctors told her she would potentially have to wait up to four and a half years to have gender correction surgery on the NHS.

She said: "If I had to wait that long I would have been dead, and that's not just me being dramatic. To save my own life, I had to become Sue."

Instead Sue turned to help from abroad, visiting acclaimed gender surgeon Dr Narendra Kaushik, head of Olmec Cosmetic Surgery, in Delhi, India, in November 2014.

Sue underwent breast augmentation surgery, as well as botox and stem cell injections, and also embarked on a course of advanced hormone treatments before leaving to return to the UK.

She subsequently returned to Dr Kaushik's clinic in March 2015 for full gender correction surgery, as well as a range of facial surgery including cheek and chin implants, a nose job, a mini face lift and liposuction under her chin. 

In total Sue has spent £9,000 on surgery - although she estimates the bill could have been more than £40,000 if she had had the work done privately in the UK. 

Sue was reborn as a woman on March 8 - International Women's Day - and while she is still recovering from the invasive surgeries, she has no doubt that she has made the right decision. 

Sue said: "Suddenly all the last vestiges of being my male self were gone and I was who I truly am inside and it is hard to express in words just what a feeling of joy and peacefulness that is.

"I've acted my personality for 54 years - it's a long time to be in the acting profession without an Equity card."

As Graham, one of Sue's biggest passions had been hunting - and she had ridden her way to the very top, becoming master of the local hunt. 

But Sue was nervous about how the hunting fraternity would greet her decision to transition.

She said: "After my family and friends, my greatest fear was that I wouldn't be able to hunt. 

"The hunt I attend is full of important people of the top flight, it's a catalogue of Who's Who. 

"I went to them and said 'I've got something to tell you and I want to get your opinion as to how it will be looked at in the hunt?' and they said 'oh you mean that you are having a sex change?' 

"At that time there was only meant to be three people in the world who knew about my gender dysphoria - but I live in Jilly Cooper land, where everyone knows everything!

"They said 'oh, we've already discussed it and we have decided that you are fine to come out hunting as Sue, but be careful with the social functions as Sue until everyone's comfortable and you're comfortable'.

"That was huge for me, the first day that I rode out with my long hair and my hunt jacket on, altered to button to the left, everyone was so supportive.” 

On 2 September 2014 Sue had her "last male day" - going 10-pin bowling and for a burger in Newcastle with her two boys.

Sue said: "My sons have been very supportive and even wished me happy mother's day - now, I will never be their mother, I'm their dad - even if it's a female dad!" 

Sue is now planning to set up a charity to help other transgender people wanting to travel abroad for surgery and educate others on what it means to be trans. 

"I hope that by raising some money this could be a little oasis for people who are trans, who want a safe place," she said.

"There are plenty of charities out there that can give information and it is great to do that, but words are only words, the ability to actually donate money to people in need, to be able to go and accelerate their change, I can't think of anything in my life I would rather do right now.

"When I made my decision to become Sue I thought I would lose my family, I'd lose my farm, I'd lose my business, that people would ostracise me and not want to do business with me anymore.

"I thought that I would have to leave the country to get the operation done and then go live somewhere else with a new life.

"That is the basis on which I made my decision and it just hasn't been like that. My sons have been very supportive, as have the majority of my friends and the people I meet."

And while Sue and her wife are currently divorcing, Sue says she would like to meet a new partner in the future. 

"I would love to have a long term relationship with a loving partner who I would regard as my friend and soulmate, yes I would, but wouldn't everybody?" she said.

"It's funny, I'm 55, I am very hormonal, I am going through puberty again which means that I am just getting to my teenage girl years - so watch out world."