In his highly-anticipated interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s 20/20, Bruce Jenner publicly confirmed his gender identity as a woman.
Although Kris Jenner's first tweet was a "f--k you" to Perez Hilton, Jenner's kinder and gentler (other) ex-wife talked to Good Morning American about the 20/20 interview.
Bruce watched the airing of the interview with his family members, including his first wife Chrystie Crownover.
Crownover was married to Jenner in the 1970s and had two children, Burt and Casey, with him.
She spoke to Good Morning America on about Jenner’s interview:
"[It] was kind of surreal. It was great because the family was together and that's what I'm most proud of,” she told GMA.
"I know its been painful for him. I know its been a torment in his life.”
Crownover also talked about Bruce’s reaction to his own interview. She said his immediate reaction was “Pain…pain.”
"He was tearful at times and it broke my heart," she added. "It broke my heart for him... I think it was cathartic to watch it together. It was pretty intense.”
The family viewing included almost the whole Keeping Up With the Kardashians clan: Kim, Kylie, Kendall, Khloe, and Kourtney and Kris.
Kris was not interviewed for the 20/20 special. However, Chrystie and his second wife, Linda Thompson, vocalized their support for Bruce.
Bruce’s announcement did not come as a surprise for Crownover. In fact, she has known for many years.
She stated in her GMA interview that Bruce confided early in their marriage that he had interest in living as a woman.
Bruce also told Sawyer that "Chrystie was the first one to know.”
Speaking of the moment Bruce told her he identified as a woman, Crownover said, ”Understandably, I was speechless. I didn't really know what to stay. I was really pleased that he shared that intimacy with me, that he trusted me with his deepest darkest secret.”
She added, ”It's so hard to wrap your head around it particularly because he was such a manly man and he didn't display any female style in any way. He never indicated anything feminine in his demeanor... It didn't threaten me, it didn't threaten our marriage, it wasn't really a threat... It wasn't a problem."
GMA aired previously unseen clips from the interview where he compares his coming out to competing in the Olympics.
"Life is much more difficult than running, I guarantee you," he said to Sawyer.
"I'm trying to live with myself. Trying to be myself... Everybody's got stuff, everybody's got their things they gotta deal with... I'm trying to do something about it for the good and I don't think anybody can be critical of that, at least I hope not,” he explained.
Crownover is proud of Bruce and is grateful he trusted her enough to share his lifelong secret with her:
"I'm sure there are plenty of people that don't have the courage to come out at all ever and they live private, dark, tortured lives. That’s tragic. The fact that he did share it with me that first year... It was a gift that he gave it to me, that he trusted me with something so intimate,” she said.
http://ce.ivyrc.com/chrystie-crownover-bruce-jenners-first-wife-talks-gender-transformation/