Big Brother Kelly in NOW magazine

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Dutch Big Brother babe Kelly on her joy at finally being accepted as a woman

Nadia and I aren't freaks, we're special

They're both transsexuals, appeared on Big Brother and fancy Beckham. NOW travel to Amsterdam to meet Dutch BB finalist Kelly van der Veer, who has a few words of wisdom for our Nadia Almada

Big Brother's glamorous winner Nadia Almada, 27, is in shock that she's been accepted as a woman by the British public. But one person who knows exactly how she feels is Dutch transsexual Kelly van der Veer. They both share a remarkably similar past. Like Nadia, Kelly has seen her life transformed after emerging as a Big Brother finalist two years ago. 'I went on Big Brother to show everyone that I wasn't ashamed of who I was. I knew I was a real woman and I wanted to show the whole of Holland.'





Kelly had her sex change a year before entering the Big Brother house and fellow housemates didn't suspect a thing. In fact, one randy contestant almost had sex with Kelly, 23, before she revealed the truth about her past 'It got pretty steamy in the house with a housemate called Andreas she admits. 'We kissed, had a bath together, got drunk on champagne and almost had sex. It was very intense as we were in bed together, but I just couldn't go through with it.' Kelly ended up in tears in the diary room. 'I was crying because I really liked him, but I wanted to be true to myself. Big Brother encouraged me to tell him everything and I did. He was remarkably calm. Andreas was such a player that he'd already moved on to another girl by that time so nothing more happen between us. But it was such a huge relief, especially as everyone in the house was supportive.'

Sitting in the plush penthouse suite of the NH Barbizon Palce hotel in Amsterdam, Kelly sits chain-smoking as she reveals to NOW how, just like Nadia, she was overcome with emotion when she left the house. 'I didn't care that I hadn't won the show because I left the house as a winner anyway,' she says.'I was on the cover of all the celebrity magazines, I recorded a single called I Am What I Am and people were stopping me in the street for my autograph. It was such a great feeling and I received lots of letters of support telling me how brave I was.'

In fact, Kelly became such a celebrity in her homeland that she was offered a lucrative deal to pose for Dutch Playboy. 'It just showed I'd finally been accepted as a woman,' she says.

Kelly's career has been on the up ever since. 'I've just filmed Celebrity Detox in Ibiza and I've got some presenting work coming up, but my ambition is to become a supermodel. I just need to get really thin first- then I'll be banging on those agency doors!' At 6ft lin, Kelly certainly has the height to grace the catwalks and she's not short on the diva attitude either. As she swans through the hotel lobby wearing the obligatory designer shades, she has a whiff of self-confidence about her that attracts attention.

Kelly, who grew up as a boy called Ferry in the Dutch city of Hilversum, admits that she battled to keep her feminine side hidden as a child. 'My sister Amber is two years younger than me and I remember being jealous of her because she was very girly. As teenagers we'd spend hours dressing up at home, putting on lipstick and painting our nails. When we went shopping together I'd encourage her to buy beautiful was taunted by the boys at school. 'The boys would tease me and call me a drag queen because I didn't behave like them. I didn't dress as a girl, but I always acted femininely.'

Kelly began taking hormone treatment at 18 and started to live as a woman. She met her boyfriend Edric while she was working as a showgirl during her transition period. 'I wasn't gay, but I liked men. Edric liked girls and it was love at first sight. He didn't care that I wasn't a complete woman and we still had an active sex life.'

On 7 February 2000 Kelly had gender reassignment surgery - her penis was removed and doctors created a vagina for her-and a boob job at the same time. Amazingly, the two-in-one operation only took 2 hours. 'It felt like judgement day, but I was more worried that my breasts would be too small than anything else. I was always ashamed of my dick and glad to get rid of it. 'When I woke up I was in so much pain, but I couldn't see past my breasts - they were great. When I went to the toilet, though, it felt like someone had stuck a knife in my vagina.'

Eight weeks later Kelly had sex as a woman for the first time. 'It felt like I was a virgin again and I'm glad I did it with someone I trusted. The doctors assured me that I'd eventually be able to orgasm, but it was a year before I did. You have to learn to have sex as a woman. It feels strange, but after a while I could get into the more hardcore stuff.'

She's since split from Edric and is single at the moment. Unlike Nadia, she isn't looking for Mr Right just yet. 'I have lots of special friends,' she says with a wink. 'I'm just so fussy with men. I like handsome men so I'm happy to wait until the right one comes along. David Beckham's gorgeous and so's Prince William. I know Nadia fancies Beck s as well, so perhaps we could go on a double date withe them.

As she flicks through some photos of Nadia, Kelly remarks: 'She's so beautiful - she's such a glamorous girl. Nadia will find that everything's much easier for her now she no longer has to cam-he secret around. From now on she should be honest, especially with guys, as she's got nothing to lose.

'I'd love to meet Nadia and share our experiences. I don't necessarily have a bond with other transsexuals as I'm doing my own thing, but it'd be great to share our whole Big Brother experience.'My advice to Nadia would be to always remain true to herself. She's already special so she doesn't need a Prada dress, or a Gucci bag to become a personality. Nadia and I aren't freaks - we're just special woman with a little something extra.'

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Op dinsdag 28 september 2004 20:16 schreef tong80 het volgende:
Lees het over een paar jaar wel.

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Op dinsdag 28 september 2004 21:17 schreef JohnDDD het volgende:
heeft die een nose-job gehad?