Transgender Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O’Brien recalls harrowing breakdown

Richard O’Brien recalls the moment when he had a harrowing breakdown before accepting himself as transgender.

The 81-year-old actor, who created the Rocky Horror Show, considers himself “70 percent male,” but insists it’s taken him decades to accept his gender as it is.

He had a breakdown in his 60s – what he previously described as being “thrown into the abyss” – and only then did he start talking about himself as transgender.

He told The sun on Monday about his identity: ‘I don’t like labels, I like being an inbetweenie.

“I think I’m a member of sentient beings who just happen to be a little confused between the masculine and the feminine on a continuum.

Loved-up: Since 2013, he has been married to Sabrina Graf, 30 years his junior, with the star saying that Sabrina sees him as 50 percent male and 50 percent female (pictured in 2012)

“Some of us are hardwired to be male, some are hardwired to be female, but most of us are on that continuum. I happen to be more in the middle than most.”

He added, “I was working with the actor Anton Rodgers and he said, ‘I think you’re the third gender,’ and I thought that was quite a nice position to be in.”

Since 2013, he has been married to Sabrina Graf, 30 years his junior, and was previously married to Jane Moss from 1983 to 2006.

He shares children Joshua, 40, and Amelia, 34, with Jane, and Linus, 50, with ex Kimi Wong.

Born in Cheltenham but raised in New Zealand, Richard insists he always knew he was different.

He grew up in a rural farming community where he says, “guys are dudes,” adding, “It wouldn’t have been easy if you guys were too ‘out there.'”

The star left school at the age of 15 and tried out a number of jobs, including working as a hairdresser, farmer and glazier.

But seven years later in 1964, he moved back to the UK where he used his horse riding skills to work as a stuntman before training to be an actor.

Musical: Richard (far right) is seen with Tim Curry as Frank-N-Furter in 1975’s The Rocky Horror Show, which he created

Glittering career: Richard presents The Crystal Maze. He had a breakdown in his 60s – what he describes as “thrown into the abyss”

After being dumped as King Herod from Jesus Christ Superstar after just a few rehearsals, he decided to write his own musical.

But he said the situation was the best thing that ever happened to him as it allowed him to create the Rocky Horror Show, which is currently touring the UK until October this year.

The production was ahead of its time as it was released in 1975, just six years after homosexuality was decriminalized in Britain.

Richard said the musical allowed him to express himself while on stage, as it was too dangerous for him to do so on the streets of London at the time.

However, he said it took him two decades after writing Rocky Horror Show to “come out” as trans to his loved ones.

He said his mother Mary had a hard time accepting what he told her, to which he replied, “Have you seen pictures of me at barbecues, with my brother Rob, with make-up and earrings and ballet tights and a ballet wrap and cowboy boots?” insisting that he had given her a “point or two.”

He previously said of his breakdown, “It was a terrible time, the result of a lifetime of feeling shame about myself.

Support: After Richard had his breakdown, it was the love of his family that helped him recover (Richard seen with his wife Sabrina in 2012)

“It would have been easier to be gay, because that’s a certainty, but I wasn’t. I was something else.’

After Richard had his breakdown, it was the love of his family that helped him recover.

He insists he doesn’t care what people think of him these days, adding that it’s the love and support of his wife and children that counts.

“At one point I said, ‘F*** it, I am who I am,'” he said.