The re-creation

From the age of four he would pray to God to ask for a new body, never dreaming that one day his wish would come true.

But now, less than three months after a painful surgical operation which transformed Peter into Carol, Rev Stone has shown off her new look to the country's press.

As the cameras whirred, the 46-year-old walked into the lounge of the Bishop of Swindon's Old Town home with a sense of dignity and purpose.

Dressed in a smart, navy blue suit, court shoes and a pretty floral necktie and wearing make-up and sporting a neat chestnut bob, Rev Stone looked polished and elegant.

As nervous as she must have been feeling, she was also delighted to be making her first appearance as the woman she had waited all her life to become.

"It was a huge mountain to climb to come here. It is quite a special moment for me because it is almost too wonderful to imagine I am sitting here as Carol talking to you now," she said.

"I am thrilled to be me. Before there was a pool, a deep pool of suffering. Now I feel that whole part of my life is finished with. I am looking forward to being whole and what you see is now what you get."

She was also able to bolster her nerves with humour, a trademark for which she is well known among her parishioners.

Asked whether she thought about meeting anyone else or marrying, she said: "I got a letter from a stranger which said they hoped I would meet a really rich man and settle down to be a devoted wife. That is not my aim, but you never know."

It was in January that twice-married Reverend Stone, who has an 18-year-old daughter, first declared her intention to change from Peter to Carol Anne, a name she chose because she thought it sounded "very pretty".

For anyone determined to make such a transition it was a daunting decision. But Rev Stone, as a well-known and well-liked priest serving at St Philip's Church in Upper Stratton for the last four years, had no idea what the ramifications might be.

The response, however, has been overwhelmingly supportive. She received the backing of the Bishop of Bristol, the Reverend Barry Rogerson, and the blessing of her congregation and family .

"My mother only wants my happiness," she said. "Obviously she was concerned about the pain and the suffering that I have been through but also because of the operation.

"But at the end of the day, what does any mother want for her children? She wants them to be happy and successful. My two brothers are also supporting me."

Rev Stone also drew comfort from her faith in God.

"There is a text in the scriptures that talks about God not letting us suffer more than we can cope with. I read that and felt it could never apply to me because there didn't appear to be an end to my suffering.

"But I wrote to the Bishop and when that moment came, the doors opened and I was able to move forward not only to gender reassignment but to the priesthood. That was a wonderful answer to prayer.

"I had no doubts about continuing with the priesthood. I have only had two vocations in life to be a priest and to be a woman.

"My situation is no different from anyone who has their crosses to bear. You could go into any hospital ward and ask somebody how they reconcile their belief in God with the condition they have.

"I have never blamed God. I have always accepted the situation but I have always hoped something might happen to make a difference."

Rev Stone consulted two psychiatrists before starting hormone treatment last year and underwent privately-funded surgery almost three months ago. After the operation and when she began her new life as Carol she felt a tremendous sense of relief and peace.

"My first reaction was thank goodness everything is right now. There was a huge sense of normality. There were no angel trumpets it was just a sense of good, let's get on with this now," she said.

Normality is what Rev Stone desperately hopes she will be able to enjoy now. On Sunday she will return to the parish where she says her life belongs, tending to her congregation.

"After the excitement and novelty I will get back to the bread and butter work of being a parish priest.

"I have a wonderful congregation. They are full of life, encouragement and humour. It is no surprise to me that they have been so fantastic. I am grateful and nothing was taken for granted but they are just a lovely set of people.

"As a priest you must always be prepared for people to come and go. There will be one or two who won't be able to make the transition with me and they will be sorely missed."

She also realises that her sex change will have ramifications for the church as a whole and others in her position. But she is adamant she has done nothing but be herself and does not want to be held up as an example.

"I am just a person who has gone through a major change in life and if that helps the people who will follow me, then good," she said.

"When you are really up against it and there is nowhere else to go, then you have to do what you have to do."

Telling the world: Rev Stone pictured with Stephen Oram, spokesman for the diocese, at a press conference following her operation.