Civilian police worker Anne Nichol is sharing a house with her sex change husband.

She and ex-hubby Dave continue to live in the marital home even though he is now Danielle and just 12 months away from his final sex change operation.

The couple, who once lived as man and wife, are now best friends who fight for make-up space on the bathroom shelf.

Data networks engineer Danielle, 35, and wife Anne, 34, even go fly-fishing together.

The couple married five years ago but now share separate bedrooms at their home near York.

Danielle, then Dave, told Anne he wanted to become a woman two years ago after a visit to a gender clinic.

Now, she is undergoing treatment in the clinic at St James Hospital in Leeds.

Danielle added: "I spent a long time thinking about being a woman but I only made the final decision after my marriage broke up two years ago.

"We are still technically married. Neither of us has filed for divorce but we now share separate bedrooms.

"I spent years trying to convince myself that I was a man and when I made the decision to change, it was such a relief - no more years of living a lie.

"I'd been fascinated by all Anne's clothes and used to love watching her get dressed and put on her make-up. It was a world I wanted to be part of."

Danielle, who used to have short-cropped black hair as Dave, now sports flowing blonde locks.

She changed the name of her driving licence and passport and will undergo her final operation next summer.

At the moment, hormones are delivered through a HRT patch.

Danielle said: "My face is filling out and my hips are getting bigger.

"I am finally feeling like a whole person because I've always known that I was the wrong sex."

Anne was dumbstruck when husband Dave delivered his bombshell news.

She said: "Our marriage had ended and we'd fallen out of love with each other, which made it easier.

"It's taken a lot of getting used to but I'm determined to support Danielle with whatever she wants to do.

"We get on better now than when we were married. We are best of friends.''

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.