Kelly van der Veer
Encyclopedia
Kelly van der Veer is a Dutch
television personality, singer and actress. She is regarded the most prominent transsexual person in the Netherlands and rose to fame after competing in Big Brother - The Battle, a Dutch version of the Big Brother
-format.
(a children's choir) albums.
Van der Veer stated her teenage years were "the most difficult phase of her life". She was often mistaken for a girl and frequently had to face ridicule because of this. She saw an escape from her plight in gaining prominence as a media personality and therefore participated in "De Travestiet Show" (English: The Transvestite Show) in 1997, entering as the youngest contestant at time.
She underwent sex reassignment surgery
at age 19.
As of 2009, Van der Veer has established a website providing webcam sex for payment.
, "I Am What I Am". Simultaneously, she released the same-titled album I Am What I Am; the album performed poorly both critically and commercially.
As of 2010, she has released three singles, "I Am What I Am" followed by "Proud Mary" (2006) and "Ik Doe Wat Ik Doe" (2010).
Van der Veer collaborated with Andries de Jong, one of her fellow contestants at Big Brother, on the autobiographical book Kelly, which appeared in a Dutch
paperback edition in 2006 (ISBN 9-027-43984-2).
In 2004, Kelly had a short cameo appearance as an unnamed lesbian
in the Dutch movie Gay. The film, however, was not very successful at the box office as it did not appeal to the contemporary image of homosexuals in the Netherlands.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
television personality, singer and actress. She is regarded the most prominent transsexual person in the Netherlands and rose to fame after competing in Big Brother - The Battle, a Dutch version of the Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
-format.
Early life
During her childhood, Van der Veer sang on several Kinderen voor KinderenKinderen voor Kinderen
Kinderen voor Kinderen is a Dutch children's choir maintained by public broadcaster VARA. The name translates as "children for children".Since 1980 the choir has released one album of new children's songs each year, and is probably the only act from the 1980s with consecutive albums in the top 40...
(a children's choir) albums.
Van der Veer stated her teenage years were "the most difficult phase of her life". She was often mistaken for a girl and frequently had to face ridicule because of this. She saw an escape from her plight in gaining prominence as a media personality and therefore participated in "De Travestiet Show" (English: The Transvestite Show) in 1997, entering as the youngest contestant at time.
She underwent sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
at age 19.
Rise to fame
In 2001, Van der Veer became a contestant on Big Brother and thus arose as a national celebrity. She finished as a finalist and revived her music career shortly after dropping from the show. Later appearing in over six television shows. She established her own comedy item on Dutch talk show Jensen!, called "Just Kel". Van der Veer is a notable figure in Dutch television due to her transsexuality and alleged low intelligence, after scoring only 77 points in De Nationale IQ Test (The National IQ Test).As of 2009, Van der Veer has established a website providing webcam sex for payment.
Other ventures
After finishing her run as a Big Brother participant, Van der Veer released a singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "I Am What I Am". Simultaneously, she released the same-titled album I Am What I Am; the album performed poorly both critically and commercially.
As of 2010, she has released three singles, "I Am What I Am" followed by "Proud Mary" (2006) and "Ik Doe Wat Ik Doe" (2010).
Van der Veer collaborated with Andries de Jong, one of her fellow contestants at Big Brother, on the autobiographical book Kelly, which appeared in a Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
paperback edition in 2006 (ISBN 9-027-43984-2).
In 2004, Kelly had a short cameo appearance as an unnamed lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
in the Dutch movie Gay. The film, however, was not very successful at the box office as it did not appeal to the contemporary image of homosexuals in the Netherlands.