British Grandpa to undergo sex change at 80!

But it is only now,nearly 70 years on and after a successful flying career,that he plans to go ahead.

“It’s gorgeous to be who I am at long last. My life has blossomed beyond all recognition since I made the decision,” six-foot tall Ruth,of Newhaven,East Sussex was quoted by the Sun as saying.

Ruth,who earlier used to be called James is the father of three and will be 79 next month,decided to live fully as a woman in public two years ago.

Despite his age,doctors have scheduled the National Health Service operation for October next year,after he turns 80,at London’s Charing Cross Hospital.

In the meantime,he is being treated with NHS-prescribed hormone therapy.

“I just want to get on with it. I’m old enough not to bother about sex,that’s not my motive. The modern climate is one of understanding and tolerance so you don’t have to pretend you are something you’re not,” Ruth said of the NHS operation.

He wed in 1961,had a son and two daughters,and later worked as engineer. But from the 1970s James began to spend more time as Ruth,dressing as a woman.

“My wife found out,which was embarrassing,but from that point I was very open about it,” he said. The couple divorced in 2003 after 42 years of marriage but are still close.

Research shows the average age a person approaches their doctor about gender reassignment is 42. Two years ago,ex-miner Roy Colton,75,came out as the oldest person to begin it.