A husband and wife dubbed the UK's 'transgender power couple' have announced plans to start a family together.
Hannah Graf (née Winterbourne), who shot to fame as the country's highest-ranking transgender soldier, tied the knot with Jake last year and has now quit the army to finally move in with her movie star husband in London.
The couple first met three years ago, splitting their time between Jake's flat and Hannah's army barracks at Sandhurst, and tied the knot in March 2018.
But now that Hannah has left the army, she can finally live permanently with her husband, who was born a girl.
The couple first connected over social media through mutual friends in the transgender community.
New beginnings: Hannah Graf, who shot to fame as the country's highest-ranking transgender soldier, tied the knot with Jake last year and the pair have just moved into their first home in London (pictured)
Hannah, who was born male, was previously a captain in the British Army before undergoing a transition (left) while Jake, who was born female, is a successful actor and director (right)
The couple share a kiss as man and wife. After Jake proposed to Hannah in New York's Central Park in 2017, the couple got married in March, 2018 at Chelsea Old Town Hall
Jake, who works as an actor and director, transitioned 10 years ago while Hannah, who joined the army as a man, serving in Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, began transitioning five years ago.
Describing their unique bond, Jake said: 'We have that link that most of society will never understand which is a really, really powerful thing to have.
'Our trans identities are just something that kind of eased our getting to know each other.
'It's certainly not what brought us together, it's certainly what not keeps us together, it's certainly what not defines our relationship and it's certainly not why we are together.
'We are together because of everything else and the fact that we are both trans just makes those difficult moments that much easier.'
The couple, who have previously said that having children together is a 'definite', are starting 2019 by looking into the surrogacy process.
Hannah smiles for the camera in her army uniform. The couple previously split their time between Jake's flat and Hannah's army barracks at Sandhurst, and tied the knot in March 2018. Hannah said of her time in the army: 'Coming out as a transgender in the army was quite daunting, but it probably shouldn't have been because they were amazingly supportive'
Jake said: 'Our next plan is now surrogacy. So we have already spoken to several agencies about our surrogacy journey and done lots of research.'
The couple, who have been together for three years, will meet with an agency for the second time in January to see what the next steps will be.
Jake said: 'We are very excited about the potential of starting a family. And if surrogacy doesn't work for us for whatever reason, then we will go down the adoption route.'
Hannah added: 'The thing about trans people is that we are just human beings. We want the same things as everyone else. There's nothing weird about it.
'We are just a man and a woman in love, who are married, living together, who want a family in the future. That's all there is to it.'
Jake proposed to Hannah in New York's Central Park in 2017 (pictured), and the couple got married in March, 2018 at Chelsea Old Town Hall in London
Jake and Hannah smile to the camera in Central Park after Jake proposed to Hannah on the boating lake in New York City, September 2017 before tying the knot in London
The couple sightseeing in New York City in September 2017. Smitten Jake says: 'We are together because of everything else and the fact that we are both trans just makes those difficult moments that much easier'
The couple share a smooch. Now that Hannah has left the army, she can finally live permanently with her husband and the couple are planning to start a family together
After Jake proposed to Hannah in New York's Central Park in 2017, the couple got married in March, 2018 at Chelsea Old Town Hall.
Wearing a strapless, white gown and carrying a bouquet of white, pink and blue flowers - the colours of the trans flag, it was a day that Hannah didn't ever allow herself to imagine when she was growing up in Cardiff.
Hannah said: 'I kind of knew growing up that I was different, I didn't vocalise it, I just knew that I was uncomfortable in my body.
'I managed to find ways to be happy and to cope with what I was going through. But throughout all of that I never felt comfortable in my body enough to be with someone intimately at all.
Hannah and Jake Graf tied the knot last year (pictured at Chelsea Town Hall, March 2018) and the former army captain now quit the armed forces to move in with her movie star husband in west London. The couple revealed this week that they are planning to start a family
The couple tied the knot in March last year. Wearing a strapless, white gown and carrying a bouquet of white, pink and blue flowers - the colours of the trans flag - it was a day that Hannah didn't ever allow herself to imagine when she was growing up in Cardiff
Hannah and Jake tied the knot in London's Chelsea Town Hall last year. The couple, who have previously said that having children together is a 'definite', are starting 2019 by looking into the surrogacy process
The Grafs at their March 2018 wedding. Describing their unique bond, Jake said: 'We have that link that most of society will never understand which is a really, really powerful thing to have'
'So I just completely resigned myself to being alone all my life. I thought I would never be loved at all. I thought I would never have a family and that was that.'
An army captain who trained at Sandhurst, Hannah served in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers.
She said: 'Coming out as a transgender in the army was quite daunting, but it probably shouldn't have been because they were amazingly supportive.
'I was really worried about losing respect of the people I commanded, at the time I was a second in command at a company of around 120 people and I just didn't know what it was going to be like looking after those people and if they would respect me but they were really good about it.
The couple pose for a snap in front of their new house. Jake said: 'We are very excited about the potential of starting a family. And if surrogacy doesn't work for us for whatever reason, then we will go down the adoption route'
Hannah and Jake celebrate finally moving in together. The couple, who have been together for three years, will meet with a surrogacy agency for the second time in January to see what the next steps will be
The couple share a kiss outside their new home. Gushing about his wife, Jake said: 'Our trans identities are just something that kind of eased our getting to know each other. It's certainly not what brought us together, it's certainly what not keeps us together, it's certainly what not defines our relationship and it's certainly not why we are together'
'I think in the army it is much more about being able to do your job than who you are.'
After making the successful transition in her professional life Hannah eventually felt able to start dating – thought she admits it was 'daunting' and Jake was her first real boyfriend.
By contrast Jake had been vocal even as a child that he was unhappy with the body he was born in and before transitioning identified as a lesbian.
Jake said: 'I knew unwaveringly that I was male and when I finally came out to my mum about 26-27 years old, she had kept a lot of the cards that I had made her when I was a kid on Mother's day, Christmas and Father's Day.
The couple, pictured in their new home, say their difficult starts in life helped to bring them closer together. Jake had been vocal even as a child that he was unhappy with the body he was born in and before transitioning identified as a lesbian
Hannah, pictured with her wedding dress, never dreamed that she would one die walk down the aisle as a woman. After making the successful transition in her professional life Hannah eventually felt able to start dating – thought she admits it was 'daunting' at first
'All of them I had signed with boys names from the age of about four or five. This was something that I had known since I was a very young child.'
Working as a filmmaker and actor, Jake has made films highlighting the experiences of transgender people; he also had a small part in The Danish Girl, starring Eddie Redmayne and plays Gaston de Caillavet in current film Colette, which stars Keira Knightley and Dominic West.
Jake hopes that these stories – as well as his and Hannah's own experiences - will shine a positive light on the transgender community and show that he and his wife are just like any other couple hoping to start a family.
Jake and Hannah, pictured in New York in 2017, hope that their stories will shine a positive light on the transgender community and show that they are just like any other couple
The couple say they share a unique bond, with Jake explaining: 'I honestly don't understand the fear and the judgment that is cast upon trans people and I think that it can only come from ignorance'
Jake and Hannah outside No 10 Downing Street. Speaking about the transgender community, Jake said: 'There was just something that wasn't quite right with our gender and our physical bodies when we were born and we had to realign those in order to live happy lives'
Jake in a 'trans men are men' t-shirt. He said: 'People are scared of what they don't understand and hopefully some time soon there will come a time when people will understand us and if they don't understand us then at least they will accept us'
Actor Jake plays Gaston de Caillavet in current film Colette, which stars Keira Knightly (second left with Hannah, and Chelsea Clinton in New York) and Dominic West
Jake said: 'If you just look at the vast array and diversity within the trans community of people who are filmmakers and army captains, and writers and creators and doctors and nurses and policemen, surely you must, as a reasonable person, be able to look and realise that we are just like anyone else.
'There was just something that wasn't quite right with our gender and our physical bodies when we were born and we had to realign those in order to live happy lives and I honestly don't understand the fear and the judgment that is cast upon trans people and I think that it can only come from ignorance.
'People are scared of what they don't understand and hopefully some time soon there will come a time when people will understand us and if they don't understand us then at least they will accept us.'
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News Pictures Transgender couple Hannah and Jake Graf to start a family
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kim cattrall
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