Former WWE superstar Gabbi Tuft say she’s “no longer afraid” to let the world get to know her true self.
In an extended statement shared to her Instagram on Thursday, Tuft looked back on the past eight months as “some of the darkest” of her entire life.
“The emotional turmoil of being transgender and having to face the world has almost ended me on multiple occasions,” said Tuft, who performed in the WWE under the ring name Tyler Reks before retiring in 2014. “However, the day I stopped caring about what other people thought, was the day I truly became limitless and allowed my authentic self to come into the light. My loving wife, family, and closest friends have accepted me for who I am. To them, I am forever grateful. Your support along the way means more than you will ever know. I don’t expect everyone to agree or understand. It’s not my place to change any of your core beliefs. Just know that the outer shell may change, but the soul remains the same.”
In the Extra TV interview teased in her Instagram post, Tuft was asked to name the “biggest thing here that weighs on your mind” when it comes to the potential power of her announcement as an inspiration for everyday people to live their own respective truths.
“With everything that I’m going through and that I have been through and knowing how emotionally distressful it can be…I promise that I will share my story,” she said in the interview, which saw her joined by her wife Priscilla. “Because knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel can just be that ray of hope that keeps somebody with us, that keeps them alive, and lets them know ‘Yes, I can do this too.’”
In an IG Stories update on Thursday night, Tuft said this was the “most exciting day” of her life next to the birth of her child and her wedding day.
“I am amazed at the overwhelming show of support...I am blown away,” she told fans. “I just wanna say thank you to everyone that held support for me before the world knew. You know who you are.”
Gabbi and Priscilla have launched a new podcast documenting their journey together titled Her, available here via PodBean.
