Former WWE superstar Gabbi Tuft has announced she is transgender. The 42-year-old, who wrestled under the name Tyler Reks and retired from the organization in 2014, put out an official press release before taking to her Instagram account to share a lengthy message with fans about her transition. In the post, she revealed that she is “no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am.”
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- Revealing her transgender identity was a long and fraught road. Tuft admitted in the post that she spent a long time feeling terrified of unveiling and living as her true self because of what other people might think of her and how they might react. However, she knew it was time to embrace her true identity. “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,” she wrote.
- She went through some incredibly dark times to make it to this point. Tuft admitted that accepting her transgender identity was even difficult for herself, and she went through some terribly tough times to make it to the other side. “The previous eight months have been some of the darkest of my entire life. The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions,” she wrote, adding that she finally had a breakthrough recently that enabled her to “stop caring about what other people thought… I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light.”
- Tuft’s wife and daughter have given her strength and support. She’s been married to wife Priscilla since 2002 and they have a 9-year-old daughter together. Tuft’s family as well as her other family members and friends have embraced her truth and helped her feel more empowered and confident. “My loving wife, family, and closest friends have accepted me for who I am. To them, I am forever grateful. Your support along the way means more than you will ever know. I don’t expect everyone to agree or understand. It’s not my place to change any of your core beliefs. Just know that the outer shell may change, but the soul remains the same” she wrote.
- Tuft will appear on Extra on Friday, February 5 to discuss her journey. In the meantime, she has appeared on the Her podcast with Priscilla, where she opened up about her transition as well as how it has affected her marriage both emotionally and even sexually. “It’s been a very interesting progression,” Tuft said in a previous clip. “Our intimate life has changed quite a bit. We’re not active in that way right now, but what we’ve discovered is a whole different part of our relationship.”
***PRESS RELEASE*** pic.twitter.com/VWeiuYJxbf
— Gabbi Alon Tuft (@GabeTuft) February 4, 2021
