Caitlyn Jenner: 'I'm free to be who I am'

FOR decades, Bruce Jenner, the former Olympic gold-winning decathlete known to millions as stepfather to Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob, husband to 'momager' Kris and dad to Kendall and Kylie on the family's hit reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, was living a lie.

But in April last year, the 66-year-old revealed her identity as a trans woman during a chat with US TV journalist Diane Sawyer.

Three months later, Caitlyn Jenner confirmed her name change in an 'internet breaking' Vanity Fair cover story.

This was followed with I Am Cait, a series documenting her "new normal" life as a transgender woman, which sparked an unparalleled conversation regarding the transgender community and the issues they face.

Now, she and her girlfriends are back for series two, which will see Caitlyn confronted with challenges to her belief system, and open herself up to the idea of dating and romance. Here, she shares a snapshot of the journey so far...

"For the first time in my life, I don't wake up in the morning thinking I'm lying. The other day I was getting ready to go out, and I thought, 'I'm actually happy'.

"I'd never even met another trans person until nine months ago, when I had all the girls over for dinner and we sat down and started talking about it.

"I had no idea what was out there, so learning about the community, what the issues are politically and socially, and trying to be in a position that we can make a difference and create an understanding, that has been the challenging part."

"It was a progression that took 65 years... I was getting destroyed in the tabloids.

"Every day, I'd have five or six cars following me, paparazzi taking pictures, cutting me off, it was horrible.

"With my therapist, I needed to talk to all my children and they were absolutely magnificently, wonderful, loving kids.

"The first one I talked to was my son Brandon. He's my little Gandhi in the family, a real thinker.

"Obviously, all my children knew what was going on but nobody would talk about it.

"Brandon said to me after a long conversation, 'You know Dad, I've been so proud to be your son but I haven't been prouder than I am of you right now', and I thought, 'It's going to be OK'. That was wonderful to hear from your son. And that pretty much resonated through the family."

"Kris and I (they divorced last year) get along very well. Now, everybody has a different interpretation of what happened, but I thought I was very honest with her at the beginning, when we first met 25 years ago. Did I downplay it? Absolutely. Did I ever think eventually it would come to where I am today? No. But we had 23 great years together and she's a great person. We have a great relationship now. I think she has challenges in trying to deal with the issue now. I get it. But we're still great friends and when we're together we laugh, we have fun. We spend a lot of time together in the final part of this show."

"Because I felt like God made me this way, I've always wondered, 'Why did he do this?' I would sit there in church and wonder, 'Am I doing the right things here? How am I handling this?' Finally, I got my pastor out to my house and after a very long conversation, I had somewhat of a revelation. That turning point was saying to myself: 'Maybe this is the reason God put me on this earth'. To number one, be open with myself about truly who I am as a person - there is nothing better in life to not have any secrets and be living your life authentically. And two, maybe make a difference now. Maybe this is a cause I could get involved with? There are so many issues, but I thought, 'Maybe, with your platform, you can make a difference'. And that was really in my heart, my soul, feeling like I can make that decision and move on. I had all my kids raised, I did a wonderful job, I was free to be who I am."

"I've been doing this [reality TV] for 10 years now and to be honest, sometimes the camera being around can force a conversation that you would've liked to have had a long time ago. We've been doing it for so long and everyone's so comfortable in front of the camera; I must say, I've had some of the greatest conversations with my kids, with Kris, in front of the camera. You're forced to sit down and really think. So, for me, it's been a very positive experience in so many ways. It has brought our family, and the I Am Cait family closer together."

"I probably absorbed a lot of fashion advice through osmosis. I've been involved with my girls and my family for the last 25 years and I've seen their evolution. Although no one really knew what was going on in my head, I did observe, and in doing this I realised the importance of your presentation. I did get slammed by the community, [people] saying, 'Oh my gosh, don't take it so seriously'. But I get photographed every day of my life. If it's not paparazzi, it's a selfie and then they post it, so I think it is important."

"In episode three, I really deal with that. Bruce was a good person and did a lot of good, had an absolutely amazing life, with wonderful children. When you change, you know it's the right thing to do in your heart, but sometimes I did feel like I was throwing him out, and that was tough. But we deal with that. It was time for this woman that's lived inside me, a chance for her to live. Let's see what she can do with life..."

I Am Cait airs on E! on Sunday nights