Kanye West helped Kim Kardashian understand Bruce Jenner's gender identity crisis

Retired Olympian Bruce Jenner has Kanye West to thank for helping his stepdaughter Kim Kardashian understand his decision to transition from male to female, after the rapper revealed all the successes in his life would mean nothing to him if he wasn't "true" to himself.

The former athlete revealed all about his plans to become a woman in a candid interview with newswoman Diane Sawyer, which aired on Friday (24Apr15), and he admitted he was terrified about explaining his lifelong gender identity crisis to his six biological children and his four Kardashian stepkids.

He says, "Those are the only ones I'm concerned with and the only ones in my life that... I can't let myself hurt them... I try to explain to them that much of your upbringing was 'her' as much as it was the 'he' side. That I'll always be there; I'm not going anywhere."

Jenner broke the news of his transition to all his children a few months ago, and he reveals the women in his life have taken the lifestyle change the hardest, especially Khloe Kardashian.

He recalls, "They all cried. Mainly because they don't want anybody to hurt dad. They're very protective of me, especially Kendall and Kylie (his daughters with Kris Jenner)...

"Khloe is taking it hard... She's had the toughest time with it, 'cause she's had a lot of losses in her life. She lost her father at a young age... Lamar (Odom, her estranged husband) had his issues... I try to explain... 'I'm not going anywhere; I'm still gonna be here for you...'

"With all of the girls, it's tough on them. I understand that and I wouldn't rush that issue."

But Jenner reveals his confession wasn't a complete surprise to Kim, Kendall and Kylie, because they had each caught him cross-dressing at different times over the years; they just never openly talked about "this big secret in the family".

And he claims Kim has been the most accepting of his new life as a woman after her husband, West, helped her make sense of the whole situation.

Jenner says, "Kim told me a story. She goes, 'You know what really turned me around on thinking about this...? Kanye...' They were talking about it and he says to Kim, 'Look, I can be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and I am, and I can have the most beautiful little daughter in the world, and I have that, but I'm nothing if I can't be me. If I can't be true to myself, they don't mean anything...' And since then, Kimberly has been, by far, the most accepting and the easiest to talk to about it."

She has even offered to give Jenner some fashion advice as he prepares to embark on his new life: "(She said), 'Girl, you gotta rock it baby. You gotta look good! If you're doing this thing, I'm helping you. You're representing the family, you've gotta look really good'."

Meanwhile, Kendall and Kylie Jenner have expressed their support in a statement which reads: "We love our dad very much, he has the biggest heart and all we want is for him to be happy. If he's happy, we're happy."

His first two ex-wives, who knew all about his penchant for cross-dressing, have also issued statements to bosses at ABC News, the network which aired Bruce Jenner - The Interview.

Jenner's first wife, Chrystie Scott, wrote, "Someone who has lived 65 years of his life as the wrong gender has every right to live the last quarter of his life as his authentic self. I support him and so hope the world can too. I pray for his happiness for the rest of his journey."

And his second wife, Linda Thompson, adds, "Bruce has always had my loyalty, even if he wasn't aware of it. I support his courage and commitment to this new chapter of his life. My hope is that his transition will inspire others who struggle with their identities, and my prayer is that humanity has evolved and been educated enough to exercise kindness toward those we may perceive as 'different'."

Kris Jenner declined to comment on her ex-husband's transition.