text: Linda Thompson, Bruce Jenner's second wife, has praised her former husband for being 'a champion for those who share the struggle to just be who they are.' She tweeted her message of support and pride just hours before Bruce's highly-anticipated  sit down interview with Diane Sawyer is set to air on ABC. It's the first public comment the former beauty queen, who was married to the Olympic gold medalist from 1981 to 1986, has made about his rumored transition from male to female. Scroll down for video . Breaking her silence: Bruce Jenner's second wife Linda Thompson tweeted a message of support for the Olympian ahead of his ABC prime time special with Diane Sawyer set to air on Friday night . Supportive and proud: Linda, 64, has said her former husband's anticipated confirmation that he's transgender and plans to live as a woman is as monumental as his Olympic success . Linda shared two pictures of the former decathlete, one of him celebrating his victory at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and one of his sporting image on a billboard. She compared his expected revelations about his personal journey to the magnitude of what he accomplished as an athlete. Linda had two sons with Bruce - Brandon and Brody - and both have been seen in teaser videos released by the TV network suggesting they are also supportive of their father's transition. Second time around: The star athlete met Linda Thompson as his first marriage crumbled and as soon as his divorce was finalized in January 1981, he and Linda tied the knot in Hawaii . Real man: A shirtless Bruce happily posed on the cover of Playgirl in 1982 with  Linda, as he continued to reap the rewards of his Olympic success . A former beauty queen and an ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley, Linda and Bruce tied the knot in a beach ceremony in Hawaii on January 5, 1981. The two had started seeing each other while the Olympian was still legally married to his first wife Chrystie and married as soon as his divorce was finalized. They led a glamorous Hollywood lifestyle and were fixtures on the celebrity circuit. Linda starred in the Hee Haw TV series and had small parts in other TV shows and films while Bruce worked as a TV commentator and actor, appearing in six episodes of CHiPS and the Village People movie Can't Stop The Music. In 1982, the couple posed for the cover of Playgirl with Bruce shirtless alongside his curvaceous wife. Following their divorce in 1986, Linda went on to marry prolific music producer David Foster, from whom she was divorced in 2005, and became a celebrated songwriter in her own right. Proud mama: Linda shared this photo of herself with her sons Brody, 31, and Brandon, 33, Jenner on on April 6 . It's been reported previously that Bruce has said that he told both his first two ex-wives, when their divorces were finalized, that he's known since childhood that he should really be living as a woman. There have also been persistent stories over the years about the former star athlete's penchant for wearing women's clothes. Bombshell claims surfaced Friday suggesting Bruce had, in fact, started a gender transition process in the mid-1980s, following his divorce from Linda, but had stopped after he met and fell in love with Kris Kardashian, who became his third wife. Entertainment Tonight, quoting 'a source with direct knowledge,' said Bruce, now 65, had allegedly started hormone therapy and electrolysis and had had plastic surgery to make his features look more feminine. A spokesperson for the father of six declined to comment on the report after being contacted by DailyMail.com Friday morning. Beauty queen: Linda was a former Miss Tennessee who had had a four-year relationship with Elvis Presley. She and Bruce are pictured in December 1980 just weeks before they wed . Glamorous couple: Both Bruce and Linda worked as actors in Hollywood and were fixtures on the celebrity circuit in Tinseltown during their five year marriage . His first wife Chrystie Crownover, who he married straight out of college in 1972, expressed her support for her ex a little earlier this year as rumors started swirling about his changing appearance and his possible gender reassignment. 'I just want him to be happy,' said Chrystie who has two children with Bruce, Burt and Cassandra. 'He is a very proud and present grandfather. We all support him.' Third wife Kris Jenner, mother of his daughters Kendall, 19, and Kylie, 17, has yet to speak publicly about what's going on with Bruce. Her daughter Kim Kardashian told reporters Friday in New York that the family will be sitting down together to watch his TV revelations. Ex reax: Bruce's college sweetheart and first wife Chrystie (left) still sees Bruce at family gatherings and says she just wants him to be happy. Third wife Kris (right) has not yet said anything publicly about how she feels .
target: Friday's tweet is the first public comment Linda has made about her former husband's personal journey .
  She compared his anticipated TV revelations about his 'true self' to the magnitude of his Olympic achievement .
  An ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley, Linda tied the knot with Bruce in 1981 .
  The couple had two  sons Brandon and Brody before they divorced in 1986 .