'He' Becomes 'She': Husband's Transformation Into a Woman

July 20, 2009 -- In the year 2009, two women living together as a couple may not be typical, but it is not unheard of.

Both lifelong residents of northern Ohio, Chloe and Rene Prince met in March 2000 as neighbors and fell in love. Within three months they were married. They are now raising two young boys, Logan, 7, and Barry, 6.

Their story is similar to that of most couples struggling to balance work, finances and raising young children. But Chloe and Rene live with a secret that has affected their relationship, their families, their friends and even their children: Chloe was born a man.

Born and raised as Ted, Chloe had a typical childhood, she said.

Watch the full story on "Primetime: Family Secrets," TUESDAY at 10 p.m. ET.

"I was a happy little boy. I had my Tonka trucks like every little boy out there, and I played in the sandbox," Prince told ABC News' Juju Chang. "I used to fool around in the backyard -- I'd take apart my bicycle and put it back together and just get into mischief."

But Ted was also confused.

"I had a sister and [when] I would see her clothes, I didn't like my clothes [as] much as I did hers. But with the family I had, even at 4 years old, I was already very aware of society, of what was expected of a boy and what is expected of a girl."

For Ted, it was about more than clothing. He also struggled with gender confusion, which affects an estimated 1 million to 3 million people across the United States. Unbeknownst to his family, Ted continued to secretly dress in female clothing throughout his youth, even going as far as opening a P.O. box as a teenager in order to receive shipments of lingerie.

In his twenties, his confusion began to affect his personal life. Citing that she needed to "be with a real man," his girlfriend of several years decided to leave the relationship.

Desperate to get his life back on track, several months later, Ted started dating and eventually proposed to Rene, a neighbor that he said he had admired for years. Though things moved fast, neither questioned the instant connection.

"I just loved talking to him, and we enjoyed being together," Rene said. "I just thought he was a great guy. [He was] what I'd been praying for."

Before getting married, Ted knew he had to tell Rene his secret.

"I told Rene right before we got married. I said, 'I need to have a conversation with you.' And I got really serious with her. Normally I'm a happy-go-lucky type person, so she knew it was serious."

Instead of trying to convey it in words, Ted decided to show her -- in his closet.

"I opened up the closet and I said, 'Everything in this room belongs to me. Everything in here is mine,'" he said.

Ted explained that cross-dressing was something he didn't want to continue, but he knew there was something more to it than the allure of female clothing. After confiding in her, Ted told Rene he had seen a counselor, and she thought it was something she could accept from the man she loved.

"I just thought that was an aspect of him that I could live with. I didn't think too much of it, really," she told ABC News. "It wasn't something that was going to interfere with our lives."

Ted and Rene got married at a private wedding ceremony in the Poconos. Within months, Rene was pregnant with their first son, Logan, and that was when things first started to unravel.

CLICK HERE to see photos of Chloe's transformation.