She was given blockers to stop her going through puberty, followed by injections of female hormones to impede face and chest hair and trigger the formation of breasts.
But, as she struggled with her new identity – and the fears of never being accepted as a woman – Ria decided to transition back and live her life instead as a gay man.
Daily Mirror reports that, before having crucial surgery, she ended her treatment and became Brad again soon after her 18th birthday.
But five years on Ria is more certain than ever that is not the real her – and is making her second attempt at becoming a woman to have the future she always dreamed of.
She said:
“I’ve always known I was female – it was everyone else who was confused, not me. I was wearing make-up and heels at the age of 12, there was no question.Only now I realise that made me even more unhappy. Now I’m going to be me – and I hope I will finally be happy.”
“But I felt under so much pressure from society that six years later I caved in. I was torn. I knew exactly who I was, but I also wanted to conform and be ‘normal’.
Stung by critics who accused her of “wasting” thousands of pounds of NHS cash on her abandoned transformation, Ria has vowed she will fund her own surgery.
She has paid £5,000 to get her dream 34EE breasts, and will have an op next year for her genital transformation.
But as well as finally finding peace, she hopes it will allow her to find the romance and the family she longs for.
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