UPDATE: |My wife didn’t believe me when I told her my true identity… until I showed her News

Samantha, previously known as Billy, was beaten up for dressing as a woman in Wigan in the 1990s and even threatened with electric shock therapy as a child

A former builder who was threatened with electric shock therapy for wearing a dress as a child and beaten up in a horrific taxi rank attack has now proudly come out as a transgender woman.

Samantha Wolsey, 69, from Wigan, previously known as Billy, first wore a dress at the age of six. Her father took her to see a psychiatrist, who suggested electric shock treatment.

Samantha refused and continued to cross-dress over the years, even during her marriage with Denise, 66, who supported her and bought feminine clothes and wigs for her.

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However, Samantha was beaten up for dressing as a woman when out with friends in Leigh in the 1990s, causing her to be taken to hospital and to “lose all (her) teeth”. She was forced to keep her true identity hidden for years.

After Denise developed paraneoplastic syndrome in 2014 – a rare immune response to a tumour – Samantha moved into one of Belong Wigan’s independent living apartments to be closer to her wife. Staff supported Samantha to come out as transgender and live authentically for the first time.

“I felt absolutely superb when I first put a dress on (as a child),” Samantha said. “But my dad hated it, because he’s always wanted men in his life. That’s realistically what buggered me up.”

One of 11 children, with six brothers and four sisters, Samantha first wore a dress at the age of six. Her sisters would often dress her up and she enjoyed the experience, but when her father saw her, he took her to see a psychiatrist, who suggested electric shock treatment.

She said: “I managed to get out the room, and I turned around to my dad and said, ‘If you want that shock treatment, lie on it yourself’. I said, ‘It’s you who bloody needs it and not me’.”

Samantha and Denise met in 1978 in a pub while Samantha was working as a builder. When Samantha first told Denise about cross-dressing, Denise did not believe her – until she dressed up and showed her.

Samantha recalls Denise saying: “You look OK from your neck down, but that bloody wig, what you’ve got on, it’s absolutely disgusting.”

Despite initially criticising the wig, Denise began bringing home bags of feminine clothes as a gesture of support for her partner’s hobby. “When I came home from work, there was a carrier bag with all sorts in it – bras, knickers, you name it,” Samantha said.

One night in the 1990s, Samantha went out with some male friends while dressed as a woman under the guise of raising money for Children In Need. She was attacked from behind at a taxi rank in Leigh, resulting in severe injuries. Following the violent ordeal, Samantha kept her identity hidden, only dressing in women’s clothing behind closed doors.

That changed in 2010, however, when Samantha and Denise went on holiday to Spain, and Denise surprised Samantha by packing a suitcase full of women’s clothing.

“I started unpacking it, and I said, ‘Have you given me the wrong case here?’” Samantha said. “Denise said, ‘No, why?’ I said, ‘It’s all women’s clothes’.

“She said, ‘Yeah, that’s the whole idea’. There were even bikinis in there.”

The couple continued to holiday in Spain, Greece and Turkey over the years, with Samantha feeling free to indulge her feminine side. But in 2014, Denise was diagnosed with a tumour in the middle of her chest, as well as paraneoplastic syndrome, and doctors initially gave her a six-month life expectancy.

After 18 months, she was still alive, defying initial expectations, so she moved into a care facility in Wigan due to her needs.

Samantha originally took the bus daily to visit her wife but, in 2020, she moved into one of Belong Wigan’s independent living apartments to be closer to Denise after realising it was cheaper than her previous flat.

While Samantha still loves Denise, their relationship has shifted to a friendship – even though Denise would be willing to have sex, Samantha feels unable to fulfil that side of their relationship because of her wife’s lack of agency.

Out of respect, Samantha says she does not want to explore other romantic relationships while her wife is still alive.

“If my wife wasn’t here, I might go for a relationship as Samantha,” she explained. “But because my wife’s still here, I don’t think I could. I’d feel guilty.”

Living at Belong gave Samantha the confidence to dress as a woman in public for the first time after being attacked. One evening in 2023, she dressed up as Samantha and claimed it was “for a fancy-dress party”.

The next day, a staff member encouraged her to be herself, and from that day she has embraced her identity full-time – with other residents given an opportunity to attend a Q&A about her transition.

Only one of Samantha’s brothers still visits her, but her friends are all supportive. Her friend Giovanni had long suspected Samantha’s identity, joking that he always noticed her loitering in the women’s section when they went shopping, seeing through her claims that she was “just looking for Denise”.

In 2023, Samantha legally changed her name through deed poll, costing her £200. She said she spends her pension getting her nails manicured and has an extensive collection of 40 dresses and 30 wigs, and she delights in wearing heels.

She now feels proud to be part of the local LGBTQ+ community, even participating in Wigan Pride. Samantha revealed she regrets not transitioning earlier – and may have considered surgery if she was younger – but remains proud of her journey.

“If you want to do it, go for it,” Samantha said. “I’ll be there if you want to talk to somebody.”