Kitchen knife sex change construction boss: 'I have no regrets'

A former construction boss who carried out his own castration, armed with only a rubber band and a kitchen knife, claims he has no regrets and loves "every minute" of being a woman.

Holli Shelley, formerly known as Howard, helped to launch Bletchley-based all-female construction firm Women Builders with Janet Shelley, who he was married to for 15 years. The couple are now separated.

Last June Howard castrated himself, following research he had done on the internet, and then drove to a doctor's surgery and announced: "I want to be a woman".

He is now awaiting a full sex change on the NHS.

Speaking to local paper the Milton Keynes Citizen a year on, Howard said: "I love every minute of it. I am so much happier now and I have no regrets at all about what I did."

"The castration was absolute agony. It took six or seven minutes - but I did it well. I always say if you do a job you have to do it properly," he added.

After initially being referred to a psychiatric hospital, Howard was sent to a specialist and told he could have gender reassignment if he could live as a woman for two years.

He no longer works with Women Builders but told the paper: "I think I'm a great advert for the company though - Women Builders really does build women!"