Two moms from Northampton fell for each other and wrote their own unique love story.
According to The Mirror, the two women first met each other as colleagues but, with time, developed feelings for each other. Their modern-day love story is not according to society’s standards, but the new couple doesn’t care.
Reportedly, Shay Robertson, a 51-year-old garage worker, surprised his fiancée, Julie McLean, with a ready-made wedding day.
The 53-year-old McLean told the outlet that their relationship started eleven years ago when they were both moms of two kids, and Shay was Sally.
Sally met Julie at work and fell in love with her; according to The Mirror, she was never happy with her gender identity as a woman.
“I was always attracted to women and was quite masculine in how I dressed. I saw myself as a butch lesbian. My two relationships with men were short-lived, but I don’t regret them because I had my two lovely children – Andrew, now 32, and Aimee, 23.” Said Shay, previously Sally.
He said that she went through a complicated procedure of gender reassignment surgery to become Shay – a male with looks inspired by actor Shayne Ward.
“Shayne Ward was on TV, and I said how much I admired his look, especially his stubble,” He laughed.
“Julie turned to me and said, ‘You want to be a man, don’t you?’ I couldn’t speak for at least a minute. My mind was whirling because I didn’t want to admit it in case I scared her off.”
To his relief, Julie was perfectly fine with the news, and she fully supported him throughout his gruesome surgeries.
“I went to my general physician to set gender reassignment in motion; it was a difficult process – a five-year process involving five radical surgeries.” Shay explained.
“It was such a relief to have Julie’s support, the first step is to prove you’re living in your new gender role for two years, so in 2012 I changed my name, calling myself Shay as a nod towards Shayne Ward.”
“I still had a big chest, and once in the post office, I was asked twice if I’d brought my husband’s driving license in by mistake. It was embarrassing. I felt people were staring.”
“But it made me more determined. Shay continued. I didn’t discuss it with anyone other than Julie and my kids. My son was fine, but Aimee, who was 14, worried about other students’ words. She’s happy now, though.”
Speaking about their relationship, Julie said,
“I was married for 20 years when my ex cheated on me,” she says. “I was on my own a long time, and then I had a short relationship with another woman when I was 40. I loved talking to Shay, who was then Sally, at work. We only talked about our kids and work, but I felt a real connection.”
“Then we lost contact when I quit my job, but two years later, Shay sent me a Facebook message to which I immediately replied, ‘It’s about time!'” She told The Mirror.
“On April 11, 2011, we became a couple. I couldn’t have been happier.” She added.
“I was so used to calling him Sally, so there were quite a few slip-ups, but I got there in the end. I hated seeing Shay suffer, but I fancied him as much as I did when he was Sally. He looks great.”
Shay said he proposed to Julie in 2013 when he was still Sally. In 2021, after Christmas, he told Julie that he had been secretly preparing for their wedding.
“It was an amazing surprise, and I was so happy that he’d chosen April 11 to mark the day we became a couple. It was an incredible day with 40 close friends and family.” Said Julie.
The ceremony was held in a beautiful chapel at Gretna Green’s Anvil Hall. We had written our own vows, and one of Shay’s was to say how sorry he was that it had taken him two years to contact me after I left my job – time that we could have spent together. It was really emotional.”
“The best thing was being surrounded by our family. Shay and I have eight grandchildren between us, and it was lovely that they were part of the day.”
Now the couple lives their dream life, and Shay is happier than ever. He said he made the two best life decisions: becoming a man and choosing Julie as his partner.
What are your views on Shay and Julie’s unique love story? Let us know your thoughts.
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