text: Bruce Jenner has confirmed he started a gender transition process in the mid-1980s but stopped after he met and fell in love with Kris Kardashian, who became his third wife. The 65-year-old told Diane Sawyer he embarked on hormone therapy and electrolysis, and had plastic surgery to make his features look more feminine, shortly after winning the Olympic gold. However, he says, he stopped out of 'fear' of publicity and shame, and kept his secret to himself until he couldn't bear it any longer. Scroll down for video . Early signs?  Bruce Jenner has revealed he started having hormone therapy and plastic surgery in the mid to late 1980s to make himself look more feminine. He's shown here in September 1987 . Before the changes: Bruce, seen here on set, still had his athletic physique and heavy set masculine features when he appeared in the 1980 film Can't Stop The Music. These were noticeably gone by the end of the decade . Bruce said he was exploring the idea of gender reassignment surgery with doctors in Denmark but had a change of heart after meeting Kris, the ex-wife of famed LA attorney Robert Kardashian. On Friday night, he publicly addressed about his personal journey and his transition to living as a woman in a two-hour ABC special tonight with Diane Sawyer. As the romance between Bruce and Kris blossomed in late 1990 and early 1991, the former star athlete  halted hormone therapy and underwent breast reduction surgery. The couple married months after meeting on April 21, 1991, and went on to have two children together - Kendall, now 19, and Kylie, 17, - before divorcing in December last year. Change of heart: Bruce halted his gender transition after meeting Kris Kardashian in late 1990. He stopped hormone injections and even underwent breast reduction surgery before the couple married.  He's seen here with Kris in February 1993 . Family man:  Bruce and Kris tied the knot in April 1991 just months after meeting. Seen here in 2000 with their daughters Kendall and Kylie, the couple were married for 22 years. Bruce found fame again with a whole new generation thanks to the reality series about their blended family Keeping Up With The Kardashians . A source quoted by Entertainment Tonight says that Bruce was greatly influenced by the life story of transgender tennis player Renee Richards. Richards, born a boy Richard Raskind in 1934, underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1975. In 1976, she launched a legal challenge after the US Tennis Association denied her permission to compete as a woman in the U.S. Open because she had not been born a woman and in 1977 the New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor in a landmark decision for transsexual rights. It's believed that her autobiography Second Serve, published in 1983, had a significant influence on Bruce. In 1986, the book was made into a TV movie starring Vanessa Redgrave who received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Inspiration: Transgender tennis player Renee Richards won the right to complete as a woman in the 1977 U.S. Open after winning a landmark legal battle. Richards was born a boy in 1934 . Textbook transition: It's suggested that Bruce was greatly influenced by Richards' life story as outlined in her 1983 autobiography Second Serve. The Kardashian-Jenner patriarch and reality TV star addressed his gender journey during the two-hour prime time special airing tonight on ABC. He says: 'I wanna know how this story ends, you know? How does my story end?' In a message of support, TV's Dr. Phil told ET on Thursday that he's happy for the Olympian. 'This is his body and his life, and he needs to do what he wants to do,' said Dr. Phil. 'It drains your spirit if you can't be yourself. He is freeing himself.' The interview was conducted before Jenner was involved in an auto accident in which another motorist was killed. Nervous: Bruce Jenner is seen greeting Diane Sawyer at his home in the latest promo video released Thursday ahead of the airing of his sit-down interview in which he is expected to address his gender transition . Resolute: The former decathlete tells the journalist that it is 'going to be an emotional rollercoaster but somehow I'm gonna get through it' Looking to the future: The clip released Thursday concluded with Bruce asking, 'how does my story end?' Tight lid: ABC has only released snippets with non-specific quotes from Bruce, paving the way for his story to air in full tonight . Moral support: The 65-year-old father-of-six appears alongside his four oldest children  Burt, 36, Casey, 34, Brandon, 33, and Brody, 31; the latest clip reused this previously aired footage from another promo . Not appearing in the interview: Kim, 34, Khloe, 30, and Kourtney Kardashian, 36, as well as Kendall, 19, and Kylie Jenner, 17, are not scheduled to talk during the interview .
target: Bruce started hormone therapy and had plastic surgery to look more feminine in the late 1980s .
  He was inspired by the story of transgender tennis player Renee Richards who was born a man and in 1976 won the right to compete as a woman .
  Olympic decathlete reveals he halted the gender transition process after meeting Kris Kardashian in late 1990 .
  Bruce and Kris married in April 1991 and had two daughters before their divorce last December .