Holly Branson, daughter of billionaire Sir Richard Branson, has disclosed that she identified as a boy for seven years during her childhood, with her parents fully supporting her choice. Now 39 and a mother of three, Holly shared her experience on the In The Pink podcast, hosted by Natalie Pinkham, alongside her father and brother Sam.
Holly explained that at age four, shortly after her brother Sam was born, she decided she was a boy. 'I absolutely believed I was a boy – I stood up to pee, I dressed like a boy, I even gave myself different male names,' she said. This phase lasted until she was nearly 11, which she noted was unusual for the time, nearly 40 years ago.
She described herself as 'lucky' to have parents who were 'really accepting of it' and gave her 'unconditional' love. 'They didn’t question any of it, they let me be who I wanted to be,' she revealed. The turning point came when she asked for a dress for Christmas at age 11, which her mother arranged through a family friend to avoid pressure.
Holly, a former junior doctor, has worked with her father at Virgin since 2008 and now serves as chief purpose and vision officer. She is also involved in the company's charitable work and co-authored a book on building meaningful careers in 2018.
