Glamour model Amelia Maltepe, 23, has overcome being bullied and has fought to win her strict, Bangladeshi family’s acceptance.
Now she has set her sights on achieving a lifelong dream of winning Miss World – even though she was born male.
Now the business accounting student, who lives with personal trainer boyfriend Charles Dubuc, 27, has her eyes set on the world’s most famous beauty pageant.
Amelia, raised as Adesh, said: “To be become a Miss World is one of my biggest dreams. Growing up I always felt that I was trapped in the wrong body and the idea of changing gender was never an option. Now I feel like if I believe in God and myself I can achieve anything I put my mind to.”
After moving to Toronto in 2009 to study, Amelia says her eyes were opened to the possibility of transformation.
She said: “It was the first time I realised you could use surgery and medicine to change your birth gender. It was an amazing moment and I felt like I could finally be the person I always was.”
After beginning a course of hormones to alter her body, Amelia opted for breast implants two months later. And since spending £6,000 on her breasts and £2,000 on laser hair removal, Amelia has appeared in sexy glamour shoots in the hope of making it in the modelling world.
Amelia – when she was a man as Adesh
This year she plans to enter beauty competitions like her inspiration, Canadian transgender model Jenna Talackova, who last year won a legal battle to be allowed to enter Miss Universe Canada.
Amelia said: “Jenna has been an inspiration and goes to show that in Canada I can be myself.”
However, last year Amelia caused controversy in Toronto when she appeared in a sexy photo shoot in local newspaper, the Toronto Sun.
After her birth gender was made public online a petition was set up by some angry readers to bar transexuals from modelling in the paper.
Amelia pictured with boyfriendAmelia in glamour shotAmelia in glamour shotTORONTO, CANADA – AUGUST, 2012: Amelia Maltepe, 23, hopes to become the next Miss World – despite being born male. The transexual model, originally from Bangladesh, caused uproar in her hometown of Toronto after doing a sexy shoot for the local paper, which caused some readers to boycott the publication. Now Amelia, buoyed by love with boyfriend Charles, has her sights set on the world’s most famous beauty contest. (Photo Credit: Barcroft USA)Amelia Maltepe, 23, hopes to become the next Miss World – despite being born male. The transexual model, originally from Bangladesh, caused uproar in her hometown of Toronto after doing a sexy shoot for the local paper, which caused some readers to boycott the publication. Now Amelia, buoyed by love with boyfriend Charles, has her sights set on the world’s most famous beauty contest. (Photo Credit: Barcroft USA)Amelia Maltepe, 23, hopes to become the next Miss World – despite being born male. The transexual model, originally from Bangladesh, caused uproar in her hometown of Toronto after doing a sexy shoot for the local paper, which caused some readers to boycott the publication. Now Amelia, buoyed by love with boyfriend Charles, has her sights set on the world’s most famous beauty contest. (Photo Credit: Barcroft USA)Amelia Maltepe, 23, hopes to become the next Miss World – despite being born male. The transexual model, originally from Bangladesh, caused uproar in her hometown of Toronto after doing a sexy shoot for the local paper, which caused some readers to boycott the publication. Now Amelia, buoyed by love with boyfriend Charles, has her sights set on the world’s most famous beauty contest.Amelia in glamour shot
