Kellie Maloney: ‘I lived in fear of being discovered for 60 years’ | Kellie Maloney

Born in London, Maloney, 71, was a chef before pursuing a career as a boxing promoter, coaching David Haye, Rendall Munroe and Lennox Lewis. In 2014, Maloney changed her name to Kellie and announced she was undergoing gender reassignment surgery. She has published two autobiographies and a documentary, Knock Out Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story, is now available to stream on the IFC channel. She is twice divorced, has three daughters, and lives in Portugal and Kent.

When were you happiest?
The birth of my children, when Lennox Lewis was crowned undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and the day I had my last sex change operation.

What is your biggest fear?
The loss of my family.

Which living person do you most admire and why?
The Pope. I was raised in the Catholic faith and I think he is trying to make the church more tolerant of everyone. He has a very difficult task because the church is stuck in its right-wing conservative ways.

What quality about yourself do you most detest?
Arrogance.

What trait do you most detest in others?
To have a double face.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
In the early days of my transition I came to London to go for a drink with a group of people who were going through the same thing. I wore a full wig and one night I had too much to drink and fell asleep on the train and my wig slipped off.

Other than a house, what is the most expensive thing you have ever bought?
A black Russian terrier – I paid nearly £4,000 for it.

Describe yourself in three words
Unsociable. Talkative. Recluse. I spend most of my time at my house in Portugal with shelter animals – pigs, goats, ducks, turkeys, chickens and geese.

What would be your superpower?
Mind reading.

What do you like least about your appearance?
My belly.

If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
My father. I never got to tell him my whole story.

Who would you most like to say sorry to and why?
To my daughters and my partner, Tracey, for what I put them through during my transition.

What does love feel like?
Love has different aspects. There is sexual love, companionship love and unconditional love, and I think you only have unconditional love with your children or your pets.

Have you ever said “I love you” without meaning it?
Yes.

Which living person do you despise most and why?
I hate Donald Trump. I met him when I was looking after Lennox – he is one of the most arrogant men I have ever met.

What was your biggest disappointment?
Not being honest with everyone from a young age.

If you didn’t want to be that yourself, who would you most like to be?
Football manager Sarina Wiegman.

How often do you have sex?
What is sex? In the 10 years that I have been transitioning, I have not had sex.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Choose your friends wisely.

Tell us a secret
I lived in fear of being caught for 60 years.