text: In the previews for Bruce Jenner's much-anticipated interview with Diane Sawyer, he said that his whole life has been getting him ready for this moment - and truly, the Olympian's changing looks over the years most certainly seem to have been building up to some kind of dramatic transformation. Since achieving fame in 1976, when he won Olympic gold in the men's decathlon, Bruce, now 65, has notoriously undergone countless cosmetic procedures, from multiple nose jobs to the shaving down of his Adam's apple, many of which - including a revisionary face lift - have been documented as part of his well-known reality series Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Now sporting manicures and ponytails, the former Playgirl cover hunk has evolved from being the picture of American manliness into a favorite feminine topic of tabloid speculation. Scroll down for video . Moving with the times: Bruce Jenner's face has changed dramatically over the years, and the star has finally spoken out about speculation that he is transitioning. He confirmed this is the last time he will appear as Bruce before becoming 'her' After taking home the gold, Bruce was a national hero - and a national heartthrob. Muscles bulging, the athletic champ quickly became the media's darling, and appeared in a variety of advertisements, including a Wheaties box cover, as well as many magazine covers. In 1982, he famously posed shirtless on the cover of Playgirl magazine alongside then-wife Linda Thompson, now 64, epitomizing the manly ideal of a strong athlete with a hairy chest. But underneath that uber-masculine exterior, Bruce confirms, he was already looking to transition from a man to a woman. Boyhood flashback: Bruce shows no hint of his future penchant for pony tails  in his closely cropped high school yearbook photo in 1968 . Crossing the finish line: The former athlete hasn't looked like the Olympian who won gold, here in 1976, for years. While competing in the iconic sporting event, Bruce was known for his bulging muscles and athletic physique . Body hair gone: Since this hairy-legged high jumper competed in Canada in 1976, he has reportedly undergone numerous electrolysis treatments, and photos from the 1975 Pan Am Games show a much more hirsute physique . He told Diane Sawyer that in the mid-1980s, he started hormone therapy and was undergoing electrolysis to rid himself of his 'repulsive' facial hair, and had already gone under the knife in a bid to make himself look more like a woman. In 1984, he got what his future step-daughter Kim Kardashian would later describe as an 'ill-advised' nose job and facelift. He had also noticeably begun thinning out his eyebrows, which only made him look like a better-groomed metrosexual. In fact, Bruce had even been considering getting gender reassignment surgery - until, divorced from Linda Thompson, he began dating his future wife Kris Jenner, known as the matriarch-turned-momager of the Kardashian clan, and changed his mind. Swingin' 70s hunk: As an athlete who gained national recognition in the 1970s, Bruce, shown here in 1978, once oozed masculine sex appeal . His eyes have barely changed, but Bruce is now virtually unrecognizable as the testosterone-fueled man pictured here in 1981 . 1980s: The buff Olympic hero evolved from scruffy athlete to polished celebrity as he cleaned up his hairstyle and began thinning his eyebrows. He is seen far right in 1985 . 1990s: Before the end of the decade, Bruce admitted that he had at least six procedures on his face, including nose jobs and face lifts . 2000s: Bruce's hair got shorter and his skin got smoother as Keeping Up With The Kardashians propelled his family to superstardom . 2010s: The TV patriarch pierced his ears and grew his hair longer again as the naughties past . But though he put a hold on his plans to live his life as a transgender woman, Bruce continued to play with his appearance throughout the 1990s. During the first few years of his marriage to Kris, Bruce's appearance remained much the same, although he would sometimes let his hair grow out a bit longer, which only served to draw more attention to the numerous cosmetic surgeries Bruce is known to have undergone during this time. Before the year 2000, the former Olympian admitted that he had undergone at least six procedures on his face, including nose jobs and face lifts. 'If you Google my name, the worst plastic surgeries of all time or whatever it is… they've compared me to Michael Jackson,' he once said. So in 2009, Bruce went under the knife again, ostensibly to 'correct' his previous procedures, a process which was documented closely on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Pictured here in 1982 in costume, Bruce was still considered the height of manliness at this time, having won a gold medal and appeared on the cover of Playgirl . Pearly whites: Jenner has also gotten and maintained a fantastic set of teeth, even more perfect in 2014, right, than they were decades ago . In 2009 Bruce had a revisionary face lift. He is seen, left, in 2007 and, right, with a smoother jawline in 2013 . Indeed, fans of the reality show have continued to watch as Bruce's appearance has changed more and more since the show premiered in 2007. When the family rose to a previously uncharted level of reality show fame, Bruce adapted to his new Hollywood lifestyle, often showcasing an orange-toned tan while appearing on the red carpet, and even piercing his ears in 2011. But as his marriage to Kris began to fall apart, the former star athlete gradually started revisiting his old desires to transition. His simple gold studs were switched out for diamonds, his hair grew down to his shoulders, and, in 2014, he began going out in public with colorful, perfectly-pampered manicures. Ear-ily feminine: Bruce made headlines when he pierced both of his ears in 2011; in 2012 (pictured here), he upgraded from simple gold studs to flashy diamonds . January 2012: Ellen Pierson, who married Kris Jenner's ex-husband Robert Kardashian, claimed Bruce had been a cross-dresser 'for years'. She claimed his first wife Chrystie Crownover told her he had a penchant for women's clothing, shoes and lingerie. That same month, Star magazine alleged that Kris was unfazed by her husband's odd habit and that he continued to cross-dress for years after their 1991 wedding. January 2014: The Olympic gold medalist reportedly underwent a laryngeal shave to flatten his Adam's apple. May 2014: Bruce refused to cut his long hair for Kim Kardashian's wedding, despite pressure from the bride and his estranged wife Kris Jenner. August 2014: Photos appeared to show Bruce had breasts, sparking rumors he was having hormone therapy as he explored the idea of transitioning from male to female. September 2014: As his divorce from Kris was being finalized, Bruce started growing out his hair and shaving his legs. November 2014: He was spotted on various occasions wearing nail polish, a sports bra, and Spanx. January 2015: When asked about her step-father's changing appearance, Kim Kardashian said he was on a 'journey' and added: 'He'll share whenever the time is right.' February 2015: TMZ reported that Bruce told his family that he has known he was meant to be a female since the age of five. March 2015: People magazine claims Bruce's ex-wives Chrystie Crownover and Linda Thompson knew how he felt and both were supportive. The same month he had rhinoplasty to give himself a more feminine nose. March 31: It was claimed Bruce had had breast implants. April 6: ABC News announced that Bruce would do a 'far-ranging' interview with Diane Sawyer. April 24: Bruce finally confirms his gender transition, telling Sawyer: 'I am a woman.' From 2012 (left) to 2013 (right), Bruce grew his hair longer and began being pictured with glossy lips . Bruce experimented with other coifs in the late 1980s and early 1990s as well, opting for a slightly lengthier look, for example, at the 1989 Country Music Awards (left). At this point, Jenner revealed, he was already taking hormones and had done electrolysis . Transition underway: The gold medalist revealed a suspiciously smooth chest, legs, and arms during a trip to Greece with his family in 2013 (right), a marked change from the hairy, muscular man pictured during a Sports Illustrated shoot in 1980 (left) Changing body: In March, Bruce sparked further speculation about his plans to transition, when he was pictured with what appeared to be breasts, just a few months after it was reported that he had undergone a breast augmentation . In the spotlight: Discussion about Bruce's long hair and full lips has been increasing for months leading up to his interview with Diane Sawyer. This grab from Keeping up with the Kardashians was filmed last fall . While his go-to ponytail and bright nail polish are only superficial, if shocking, changes, Bruce hasn't abandon the use of surgical procedures. He notably had his Adam's Apple shaved down in 2014, first sparking widespread rumors that he would come out as transgender. Since then, rumors have circulated he has gotten lip fillers and breast implants - both of which can possibly be seen in recent photos of the television star - in order to more completely transition into living his life as a woman.
target: For the first time after worldwide speculation, Bruce Jenner confirmed to Diane Sawyer: 'I am a woman'
  He once encapsulated what it meant to be an alpha male: Olympic champion, muscle-clad, hairy .
  Told Sawyer he was 'a confused person at that time' during those Olympic days .
  He revealed all of his three wives, including Kris Jenner, knew he cross-dressed .