A conjoined twin has admitted he hid his true gender identity from his sister for most of his life.
Lori and George Schappell were once the oldest living conjoined twins in the world and George's gender transition made him and his sister the first same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders.
George revealed he kept the truth from Lori for the majority of their lives until the ripe old age of 46.
The twins, who are joined at the head, were born on 18 September 1961, and stunned doctors by making it past double their life expectancy when they reached 61 years old.
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Lori revealed via The Sun: "When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong."
However, considering Lori went on to become a champion ten-pin bowler and George performing as a country singer - it's clear nothing has held them back from 'living life to the full'.
George added: "Most people don’t believe us but we do have very normal lives.
"We travel, tidy our flat and Lori has even had a boyfriend. Nothing stops us doing what we want."
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The twins, who hail from Pennsylvania, US, share around 30 percent of their frontal lobe brain tissue and critical blood vessels, which means they cannot be separated.
After turning 21, George and Lori decided to move out after being 'finally allowed to be independent'.
Speaking back in 2010, Lori explained: "Now we have a two-bedroom flat and alternate the nights we sleep in each other’s rooms.
"My room is much more girly and reflects my personality, while George’s has all his music posters."
While the pair both had to adjust to life with their birth defect together, George had been alone in harbouring a secret after sitting on it for decades.
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George revealed: "I have known from a very young age that I should have been a boy.
"I loved playing with trains and hated girly outfits. I kept my desire to change sex hidden - even from Lori - for many years."
After coming out as a trans man in 2007, he changed his name from Dori and began to finally live in the gender identity he had been all along.
"It was so tough, but I was getting older and I simply didn’t want to live a lie. I knew I had to live my life the way I wanted," he stated.
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While Lori admitted it was an initial 'shock' when George first broke the news to her, she has since said she is 'so proud' of him.
"It was a huge decision but we have overcome so much in our lives and together we are such a strong team. Nothing can break that," she added.
In 2022, George and Lori were dubbed the oldest living conjoined twins in the world by Guinness World Records and currently reside in their apartment in Pennsylvania.
Featured Image Credit: Steve Meddle/ShutterstockTopics: US News, LGBTQ+, Health