Nice to meet you, Gabbi Tuft!
According to a press release, the former athlete who wrestled at WWE under the ring name “Tyler Reks” just came out as a transgender woman, with her pronouns being she/her. The release stated:
“Gabbi is about to share her thrilling story of gender transitioning from a former WWE Superstar, Body Builder, Fitness Guru, Motivational Speaker and Motorcycle Racer to a fun loving and fabulous female. She has been finally set free and ready to rule her world.”
AH-Mazing!
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The release went on to detail Gabbi’s (formerly known as Gabe) heartbreaking journey, sharing:
“Despite his successes during and after his WWE career, Gabe was still wrestling with a secret persona dwelling deep within him. This is a persona he has been hiding in the loud silence of his soul since childhood. Finally, with the blessing of his loving wife Priscilla, Gabe is ready to reveal who he really is. ‘He’ is now known as ‘She’: A beautiful, wise, witty and wonderful woman called ‘Gabbi.’ This is a story that wrestling and other sports fans, friends and followers must not miss, especially many in the LGBTQ community dealing with challenging transgender issues, who Gabbi and Priscilla are willing to help.”
Gabbi will speak more about her transition during an appearance on Extra Friday, February 5. After the news broke, Tuft took to her Instagram to officially come out to her fans. Alongside a photo (above) of herself, she wrote:
“The ball dropped early today as this is now worldwide news. This is me. Unashamed, unabashedly me. This is the side of me that has hidden in the shadows, afraid and fearful of what the world would think; afraid of what my family, friends, and followers would say or do. I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am.”
The athlete went on to confess that the “previous eight months have been some of the darkest of my entire life,” revealing:
“The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions. However, the day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light.”
Wow, so wonderfully inspiring!
Tuft was a professional wrestler from 2007-2014, with appearances at Smackdown, Raw, and Wrestlemania. After retiring in 2014, Gabbi and Priscilla created a fitness company called Body Spartan, which aims to “positively transform the body, mind and spirit of men and women through targeted video workouts, nutritional programs and motivational sessions.”
We’re sure Gabbi will continue to inspire during this next amazing chapter of her life. Wishing her nothing but the best!
Ch-ch-check out Gabbi’s full post (below).
[Image via Gabbi Tuft/Instagram]
The post Former WWE Star Comes Out As A Transgender Woman! appeared first on Perez Hilton.