'If Bruce had told me about his gender issue when we first began getting romantically involved, I would not have married him,' so Linda wrote on the letter.
- Apr 27, 2015
AceShowbiz - Bruce Jenner's gender transition has impacted the lives of the people in his life, and former wife Linda Thompson is no exception. She opted to write an open letter to The Huffington Post to chronicle her life with him, including the time they tied the knot and had kids, Brandon Jenner and Brody Jenner.
In the open letter titled "How Living With and Loving Bruce Jenner Changed My Life Forever", Linda revealed how when the boys were 3 years old and 18 months old respectively, Bruce told her that he was having identity struggles. "Around that time Bruce considered traveling out of the country, possibly to Denmark, to have the gender-confirmation surgery and then come back to the U.S. identifying as female," she recalled, adding, "I asked Bruce, 'What about the children?' He thought maybe he could reenter their lives as 'Aunt Heather.' "
"If Bruce had told me about his gender issue when we first began getting romantically involved, I would not have married him," Linda went on writing. "Pure and simple. But looking back, I'm so grateful to God, the universe, and Bruce that I didn't know, and that Bruce played the role in my life that he did."
At the end of the letter, Linda wrote, "After having harbored his secret, and feeling in my heart and mind that I have protected him through these years, I can now breathe a little easier, knowing he now has found the strength and the courage to fulfill his dream. He can finally realize his need to be who he authentically is, who he was born to be." She added, "That takes tremendous courage. For that I commend him."
