They had always loved dressing up in skirts and playing with dolls, but for many years they did not dare to reveal how much they were struggling with their gender identity. They did not even dare to tell each other about how they feel.

But, finally, O’Herlihy brothers opened up to each other and discovered they were going through the same battle, as Daily Mail reports.

Now, they are both living as women, Jamie, 23, who kept her birth name, and Chloe, 20, who used to be called Daniel, and say it was amazing to be able to help each other.

As Jamie explained, during their childhood, they would dress up with T-shirts on their heads, pretending they had long hair, or wear them as skirts.

But when they got to school and realized others did not do the same they ‘kept it as our secret’.

Jamie came out as gay at the age of 14 and Chloe did so two years later, aged 13. At 16, Jamie started doing a drag act in gay bars.

The sisters, who have different fathers, are now preparing to start female hormone replacement therapy so as to have gender reassignment surgery.

Their mother Sarah, 47, has been very supportive, as they both said.

‘I don’t think she feels she’s lost her sons – we’re still the same people, just happier,’ they added.