REAL LIFE
My twin sister became my brother
Suchita Naidu tells Closer how she always knew that Savita wasn’t a girl…
Growing up as biological sisters, twins Suchita and Savita Naidu looked identical from the outside – but that’s where their similarities ended.
The pair, both 21, from London, went down very different paths – Suchita describes herself as a “girlie girl” and is a Miss England beauty queen. But Savita – who goes by the name Sav – felt like he was born in the wrong body and in 2020, started the journey to become a man.
Despite their difference, the siblings are closer than ever, and have been each other’s biggest supporters. Suchita says, “We’re both really outgoing and share a passion for reading – the only real difference between us is our gender. We’ve always been so supportive and encouraging of one another. Savita has been the biggest help as I enter the Miss England competition, and I’ve been right by their side during their coming out journey."
The pair were born in London, before moving to Malaysia in 2005 when they were three years old. Even at a young age, Suchita noticed how different she was from her twin – from the clothes they wore to the toys they played with.
DIFFERENT
She says, “I was into dresses whereas Savita was much more of a tomboy and would prefer jeans and a T-shirt. Sav would play with what are seen as traditional boys’ toys like cars and loved superheroes. I was far more into girlie things like make-up and Barbie dolls.
“I always had a strong feeling that my twin wasn’t a girl, even from a young age. Whenever we played weddings, Sav would be the groom. I remember having this feeling deep inside me that him being a girl didn’t seem right. But I didn’t say anything. I started thinking of Sav as my brother – that’s the role he has always played. Weirdly, I learnt later on that Savita was having these same feelings around the same time – it must be a twin thing.” The twins moved back to Britain in 2012, aged 10, with their parents, Sree, 55, and Saroja, 52, and two elder sisters, Lavinya, 26, and Sudha, 24.
During a school trip to France in year nine in 2016, Suchita found out Savita was gay when they came out in front of their friends. “I cried when I found out,” Suchita admits. “It wasn't that I was unhappy – it had been obvious to me – but I was scared because we were so young and we didn’t know what our parents’ or community’s reaction would be.”
HAPPY
The twins were happy, intelligent teenagers, who were members of the Army Cadets and were well-liked by their teachers. But as time went by, Sav began to admit that he wasn’t happy in his body. And in 2017, he opened up to a close friend, who encouraged him to be true to himself. It was another two years though before he told Suchita. She says, “I was very laid back about it. I just said, �
