Bono: 'Sobriety helped me with sex change'

Chaz Bono has revealed that getting sober gave him the confidence he needed to start making the transition from a woman to a man.

The 40-year-old offspring of Cher and Sonny Bono, who used to live as Chastity, said that he needed therapy to help him take the steps towards a sex change.

He told Entertainment Tonight: "It wasn't a sudden decision. I've been doing therapy for a long time. It's a long process going back almost a decade. I got clean and sober in 2004 and I couldn't have done this before that."

Bono continued: "I always felt like the male from the time I was a child. There wasn't much feminine about me. I believe that gender is something between your ears not between your legs."

He added: "I will be changing for about four to five years in total but I'll be on testosterone for the rest of my life. The nice thing about this process is it is slow. I am literally going through puberty."