Meet the Husband and Wife who Play Wing-woman for Each Other during Nights Out

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9:47 PM

Claire Atkins was shocked when her husband of six years, Marcus, 37, announced he wanted to live as a woman.

The former builder sold his motorbike to pay for 36E breasts, started taking hormones and changed his name to Celeste in 2013. In December, Celeste had full gender reassignment surgery to complete her transformation. Today, this is how the couple now looks.

Incredibly, despite her new identity, this husband and wife who have three children, decided to continue living together. They remained married and best friends and are now even helping each other track down Mr Right.

Claire, a student nurse, said:

"We've both said that we probably get on better now than we did while we were married.

We go out most weekends so it's quite normal now and have a lot of fun together playing wing-woman for each other. We're both very supportive and want each other to be happy and find someone who is suitable for each other.

Seeing Celeste with other people doesn't bother me in the slightest, the only time I'll object is if I think she's got her vodka goggles on. She normally doesn't agree with my choice of men but she likes pretty boys and I prefer them all grungy and wearing greasy overalls so it's different.

We've never had to fight over the same man yet as we like really different times she prefers the more glamorous guys.

She's quite protective over me and my choice in men, if anyone upsets me they have her to deal with."

Claire and her husband, birth name is Marcus, first met in 2005 after being introduced by a mutual friend. Within a year they were married and they went on to have two children, as well as Claire's daughter from a previous marriage.

But seven years after they tied the knot, Claire started to worry that her husband was having an affair because he was drinking more and they had stopped having sex.

In December 2012, a drunken Marcus broke down on their staircase and confessed that he always known he was a woman in a man's body and wanted to start living as Celeste.

Marcus changed her name to Celeste and started taking feminine hormones she had bought off the Internet. In 2013, the former builder sold her motorcycle to pay for breast implants.

As Celeste started to physically transform into a woman, Claire decided to stick by her transgender partner.

However, Celeste is now looking to date men - so the couple go out searching for Mr Right together.

Despite remaining married, they both consider themselves single.