The celebrity kid once known as Chastity Bono has a new name – Chaz.

“It’s a long process going back almost a decade. I got clean and sober in 2004 and I couldn’t have done this before that,” Chaz tells Entertainment Tonight.

Chaz said he has always struggled with gender issues.

“I always felt like I was male from the time I was a child,” he says. “There wasn’t much feminine about me. I believe that gender is something between your ears, not between your legs. That is something I discovered in the early ‘90s. It was just a long process of being comfortable enough to do something about it.”

Chaz began the process in March, and has noticed major physical changes.

“It lowered my voice. Fat redistributes, muscle growth, hair growth, sex drive increases.”

“I was turning 40 and I thought it’s now or never. I want to still feel vibrant and be able to enjoy my life in a male body and not wait until I am an old man.” (People)

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