London 1/25/2011 12:30:00 AM
News / Entertainment

Chaz Bono now feels complete

Chaz Bono says he now feels like a "complete person" following his sex-change operation.

The 41-year-old star - offspring of singing legend Cher and the late Sonny Bono - underwent gender re-assignment surgery in 2009 and legally became a man last year and says it was the best the thing he's ever done because he finally feels happy with himself.

Speaking in his new documentary 'Becoming Chaz' - which gives a personal insight into his female-to-male transition - he said: "It's the greatest thing I've ever done in my life. It's the only time I've felt like a complete person."

Although he was born a female called Chastity, Chaz says he wanted to be a boy from a very early age and never felt comfortable in his own skin.

He said: "I've hated my body since puberty.

"When I was a little girl, I would go to sleep at night praying I'd wake up as a boy. I just knew I wanted to be a boy."

Chaz - who came out as a lesbian aged 18, and now lives in Los Angeles with Jennifer Ella, his girlfriend of five years - says he decided to do a documentary about his experiences to help other people.

He said: "I wanted to do this because I wanted to help people. And I knew that I could put a face on this issue that people just don't understand because it's a hard one to understand. I wanted to be able to change people's hearts and minds on this."