Former WWE star Gabbi Tuft publicly announced his gender transition Thursday on Instagram.
Tuft, who wrestled under the name Tyler Reks, wrote about the “emotional turmoil” involved in the transition:
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 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.
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. 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.
Tuft has an interview with Extra scheduled for Friday.
“Since wrestling in the WWE, the 42-year-old started a fitness company called Body Spartan with her wife, Priscilla, with whom she has a 9-year-old daughter, Mia,” the New York Post reports.
Tuft wrestled in the WWE from 2009-2012. Beginning in the ECW, Tuft became a part of the SmackDown brand in 2010 after the ECW was disbanded.
Tuft asked to be released from the WWE in 2012 in order to spend more time with family.