Danielle Laidley has broken her silence to reveal gut-wrenching details about her 50-year battle with gender dysphoria.
The 55-year-old West Australian detailed the difficulties she faced while transitioning in a 60 Minutes interview, which will screen on Sunday.
“Life hasn’t been easy, I’ve found it tough the whole way through,” she told the program.
“Now I can be myself with everyone.”
Ms Laidley opened up about desperately trying to keep her decades-old secret from her friends, family and footy club.
“There used to be a skinny kid, bloke running around a footy field like a maniac,” she tells 60 Minutes.
“But that was a part of the mask, to cover up.”
Ms Laidley revealed how she kept people at arm’s length out of fear they would discover her real identity.
“I wouldn’t let people get close to me,” she recalls.
“I thought I was coping really well, but obviously that wasn’t the case.”
In May 2020, the 53-year-old was arrested wearing a dress and a blonde wig, and was charged with stalking and breaching a family violence order, among a series of other offences.
In the episode, the ex-footy star discusses how her struggle took a dangerous turn, leading to drug addictions, mental health emergencies and eventually a media storm.
While Ms Laidley was in custody, police officers took photos of her in her wig and dress, sharing them on social media.
The photo quickly circulated, with TV, radio and print media broadcasting her struggles with substance abuse.
“The photos were an invasion of privacy,” she says.
While the former AFL star said it had been a hard road, she said she was at a point in her life where she was confident with her identity.
“I don’t have to hide anymore.”
