Elliot Page is finally able to live his life authentically after undergoing surgery to have his breasts removed.
The Juno star, born Ellen Page, announced he was non-binary and transgender in December, as he shared his preferred pronouns of "he" and "they".
Now Page has revealed he has undergone surgery to flatten his chest, an operation he was already recovering from when he went public with his new gender identity.
In a candid interview with Time Magazine, the actor, who showed off his new look in an accompanying cover shoot, admitted the physical aspect of his transition has been cathartic because it's something he's wanted ever since enduring the "total hell" of puberty.
"It has completely transformed my life," he said, later adding it was "not only life-changing but lifesaving".
Page recalled struggling to feel comfortable in the female form after shooting to fame with the 2007 teen pregnancy drama Juno, particularly when it came to red carpet events.
"I just never recognised myself," he confessed, adding: "For a long time I could not even look at a photo of myself."
Even just being offered women's clothing to wear caused Page to feel sick: "(I didn't know) how to explain to people that even though (I was) an actor, just putting on a T-shirt cut for a woman would make me so unwell."
Page, who announced he was gay in 2014, credited the isolation period at the start of the COVID crisis with forcing him to confront his long-held anxieties about gender and fully accept who he is.
"I had a lot of time on my own to really focus on things that I think, in so many ways, unconsciously, I was avoiding," he explained.
Inspired by the career success of transgender stars like Pose writer and director Janet Mock and Orange Is the New Black actress Laverne Cox, Page was able to let go of the "shame and discomfort" he had had about his body, and make decisions about how he wanted to live his life going forward.
"I was finally able to embrace being transgender, and letting myself fully become who I am," he shared.
