Caitlyn Jenner has opened up about how she still "loves" her former self, as she graces the cover of the new Sports Illustrated.
The 66-year-old star, formally athlete Bruce, made the brave decision to transform into a woman at the beginning of 2015, unveiling her new appearance on the front of Vanity Fair in July (15).
She's now landed another big magazine cover, posing for the latest issue of Sports Illustrated 40 years after she won the gold medal for the decathlon at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games as Bruce. Wearing a sparkling gold jumpsuit with the honour around her neck, Caitlyn tells the publication that she'll always look back on her past achievements and persona in a positive light.
"I loved Bruce," she explained. "I still love him today. I like what he did and the way he set an example for hard work and dedication. I’m proud of that part of my life. But this woman was living inside me, all my life, and it reached the point where I had to let her live and put Bruce inside. And I am happier, these last 12 months, than I’ve ever been in my life."
A short documentary accompanies the interview, during which Caitlyn describes her decathlon win as the "ultimate in what people think of as manhood". Amid her triumph she found herself hiding from her true longings, admitting she tried to bury the woman living inside of her at the time.
She doesn't regret her athletic career though, and was fully aware that the 1976 Games would be the last she'd participate in.
"I kept thinking, 'Hold on to the moment, hold on to the moment. Remember this moment, it’s going to be over so quickly. You’ve got a long life to live after this,'" she recalled.
Caitlyn also confessed that for a while she struggled to merge her post-Olympics life with her past and that she kept "throwing out" former moments like they never happened. Now she's out in the open, with support from family members like daughters Kendall, 20, and Kylie, 18, Caitlyn is keen to move forward and make a difference in the transgender world.
"This is an issue that is an issue of humanity, of mankind," she stated. "This issue doesn’t have borders. This issue is all over the world. And yeah, I would have to say the little bit of competitive Bruce still living down inside me, I couldn’t have done it without him, that’s for sure." (CM-SC/SIL/SMD)
