THEY say that love can conquer all adversity.
And no one knows that more than newlyweds Helen and Felix Fenlon – because the groom used to be a woman and the bride used to be a man.
They have now earned a place in the history books, holding the first double sex-swap wedding in Britain.
The gender-changed couple tied the knot at Gretna Green – once the haunt of eloping lovers – in a gothic red dress and bright green kilt.
The Hull couple chose September 13 for their special day, as it was the date they had their sex-change operations – Helen in 2003 and Felix in 2010.
"Everything was perfect," said Helen, 56, who was born a boy named Leslie.
"My dress was the type I had dreamed about when I was little.
"I had butterflies during the service and I thought my knees would buckle under me.
"We chose Gretna Green because we always loved the romanticism of the film Braveheart. And the idea of fighting for freedom appealed to us, because we had to fight for our personal freedoms."
The wedding is a happy ending after years of inner struggle for the couple. Felix, who was once Katy, and Helen have four broken marriages and ten children between them.
All this, on top of being trapped in the wrong body and desperately trying to conform.
Teaching assistant Felix, 46, said: "This is the first day of the life I wanted to lead – as the right sex, with the right person by my side.
"I will love Helen forever.
"When I saw her coming down the aisle, I just thought 'wow'. She looked incredible."
Felix and Helen officially changed their genders on their birth certificates before they could marry.
They met in 2008, after Felix was referred by his GP to a psychologist, who put him in touch with Helen – the organiser of a transgender support group.
Felix says he had known from the age of eight that he wanted to be a man.
But as Katy, he married at 22 and had two sons, but walked out after 13 years, leaving his children behind.
He said: "Even though I knew I was breaking their hearts, I couldn't live a lie anymore.
"When I left my husband, I even strapped down my 38F breasts to feel better about myself."
After listening to his story, Felix's GP referred him to the psychologist and he met Helen.
"I just looked at this statuesque woman and had to know more about her," he said.
Helen was born Leslie Morfitt and says she married three times and fathered eight children because she was trying to conform to the stereotype of a man.
"I'd always wanted to be a little girl," she said. "But my father was a hard-line military type and I was too frightened to tell anyone. As I got older, I tried to suppress it, although I cross-dressed in secret.
"Eventually the stress got too much – I had no choice but to seek help and have gender reassignment."
The couple had just 13 guests at their wedding – the people who have supported them most.
Close friends Natalie Wellings, 25, and Anna Dinsdale, 49, were chosen as bridesmaids, while Matthew Lewis, 40, was best man.
Helen was walked down the aisle by her son Darren.
Felix said: "Everyone who has supported us was with us.
"The moment the celebrant talked about a man committing to a woman, it felt so right."
Helen said: "Finding Felix and becoming his wife is the best thing that has ever happened to me."
