Stereophonics' Kelly Jones 'proud' as daughter 15, transitions to 'cool' boy

Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones says he is “proud” how his family have coped with his daughter transitioning into a boy.  The Have a Nice Day singer, 46, said 15-year-old Colby - born Lolita Bootsy - has thrived after his change.  And his family have supported him all the way.  Kelly added: “As a family, it’s all our job to help him realise he’ll eventually get to where he wants to be, and I’m proud of how we’ve coped.”  Colby will continue his GCSEs at the all-girls school he attends before applying for sixth-form colleges.  Kelly said the school had been “very cool about it all”.  He added: “I’m flabbergasted that, through all this, not one person has bullied Colby or made any sarcastic comments to him.  “He looks like a cool little guy, too, with a messy haircut and Dr Martens - he’s found his own little style.”  The youngster came out as gay in 2016 - inspiring Sterophonics track Fly Like an Eagle - before a sex change this year.  Kelly said: “It’s very hard to put into words, but it was difficult to come to terms with it at the start.  “I almost found myself going through a sort of grieving process, as though I’d lost a daughter and hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye properly.  “But then you realise they’re the same person, the same soul, and suddenly it hits you: ‘Right, I need to get my head around this.’  “I mean, how tough must it be to feel you were born inside the wrong body? I can’t even begin to imagine.”  The lead guitarist said he decided to “listen and be supportive”.  The Welshman, who shot to fame in the mid-1990s at the height of Britpop, said Colby is a talented artist who used his skills to design the cover of the Phonics’ 2019 album Kind.  It came as the rocker revealed his singing career almost ended after a routine check-up found a lump on his vocal cords.  But following surgery and help from Rita Ora’s voice coach Joshua Alamu, Kelly was able to return to performing.