Tyra Banks, US Supermodel and the creator of her glamorous reality show 'America’s Next Top Model', has surprised ANTM’s first transgender contestant Isis King with a gift that many could only dream about-A free sex change operation.
Banks announced on her talk show Tuesday that she would help King become a woman -- a real woman. The talk show hostess announced that she has found a doctor to pay for King to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
Born Darrell Walls on October 1, 1985, King is the Prince George's County resident. The 23 year old was born a mail, and was living in a homeless shelter when Banks discovered her and featured her in a photo shoot for the 10th cycle of her reality series.
King returned as a full-fledged contestant on “America’s Next Top Model” this season, but was kicked off almost midway through the current season after failing to produce a stunning photo during a shoot that required her to pose in swim suit.
"Darrell was somebody that I had to be. He had to be a certain thing. Darrell was never me. Isis is me. I'm free, I'm happy," King said.
“This is not happening! “[I feel] like I’m about to wake up,” King said when Banks told her that they are going to transform her completely into a woman. On her show, Banks introduced King to Dr. Marci Bowers, a leading gender reassignment surgeon.
Dr. Bowers, who has experienced the surgery herself, is paying for the surgery.
King had been taking hormone replacement therapy but hadn't received the surgery because of the high costs ($20,000 to $35,000).
"I look at it like, 'Yes, I'm the first transgender contestant, but OK, lets move past it now. I try not to think about [being transgendered] because... I feel like I really was born in the wrong body, and it's just the one thing that makes me feel uncomfortable," King said Tuesday on Banks’ talk show.
Born in Los Angeles December 4, 1973, to Carolyn and Don Banks, Tyra Banks has parlayed her supermodel status into film, television, and music. She first emerged to prominence on the runways of Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and the U.S., but her work in the commercial world was her breakthrough.
Banks is best known as hostess/judge of the reality television show America's Next Top Model, and is currently hosting her own Daytime Emmy Award-nominated talk show, The Tyra Banks Show.
America’s next top model (ANTM) is a competitive reality TV show hosted and co produced by former Victoria’s Secret model Tyra Banks with the first cycle premiered in May 2003 on UPN (later CW). The "Top Model" finale airs Wednesday, Nov. 19.
