Linda Thompson , Bruce Jenner 's second wife , has praised her former husband for being ' a champion for those who share the struggle to just be who they are . ' She tweeted her message of support and pride just hours before Bruce 's highly-anticipated sit down interview with Diane Sawyer is set to air on ABC . It 's the first public comment the former beauty queen , who was married to the Olympic gold medalist from 1981 to 1986 , has made about his rumored transition from male to female . Scroll down for video . Breaking her silence : Bruce Jenner 's second wife Linda Thompson tweeted a message of support for the Olympian ahead of his ABC prime time special with Diane Sawyer set to air on Friday night . Supportive and proud : Linda , 64 , has said her former husband 's anticipated confirmation that he 's transgender and plans to live as a woman is as monumental as his Olympic success . Linda shared two pictures of the former decathlete , one of him celebrating his victory at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and one of his sporting image on a billboard . She compared his expected revelations about his personal journey to the magnitude of what he accomplished as an athlete . Linda had two sons with Bruce - Brandon and Brody - and both have been seen in teaser videos released by the TV network suggesting they are also supportive of their father 's transition . Second time around : The star athlete met Linda Thompson as his first marriage crumbled and as soon as his divorce was finalized in January 1981 , he and Linda tied the knot in Hawaii . Real man : A shirtless Bruce happily posed on the cover of Playgirl in 1982 with Linda , as he continued to reap the rewards of his Olympic success . A former beauty queen and an ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley , Linda and Bruce tied the knot in a beach ceremony in Hawaii on January 5 , 1981 . The two had started seeing each other while the Olympian was still legally married to his first wife Chrystie and married as soon as his divorce was finalized . They led a glamorous Hollywood lifestyle and were fixtures on the celebrity circuit . Linda starred in the Hee Haw TV series and had small parts in other TV shows and films while Bruce worked as a TV commentator and actor , appearing in six episodes of CHiPS and the Village People movie Ca n't Stop The Music . In 1982 , the couple posed for the cover of Playgirl with Bruce shirtless alongside his curvaceous wife . Following their divorce in 1986 , Linda went on to marry prolific music producer David Foster , from whom she was divorced in 2005 , and became a celebrated songwriter in her own right . Proud mama : Linda shared this photo of herself with her sons Brody , 31 , and Brandon , 33 , Jenner on on April 6 . It 's been reported previously that Bruce has said that he told both his first two ex-wives , when their divorces were finalized , that he 's known since childhood that he should really be living as a woman . There have also been persistent stories over the years about the former star athlete 's penchant for wearing women 's clothes . Bombshell claims surfaced Friday suggesting Bruce had , in fact , started a gender transition process in the mid-1980s , following his divorce from Linda , but had stopped after he met and fell in love with Kris Kardashian , who became his third wife . Entertainment Tonight , quoting ' a source with direct knowledge , ' said Bruce , now 65 , had allegedly started hormone therapy and electrolysis and had had plastic surgery to make his features look more feminine . A spokesperson for the father of six declined to comment on the report after being contacted by DailyMail.com Friday morning . Beauty queen : Linda was a former Miss Tennessee who had had a four-year relationship with Elvis Presley . She and Bruce are pictured in December 1980 just weeks before they wed . Glamorous couple : Both Bruce and Linda worked as actors in Hollywood and were fixtures on the celebrity circuit in Tinseltown during their five year marriage . His first wife Chrystie Crownover , who he married straight out of college in 1972 , expressed her support for her ex a little earlier this year as rumors started swirling about his changing appearance and his possible gender reassignment . ' I just want him to be happy , ' said Chrystie who has two children with Bruce , Burt and Cassandra . 'He is a very proud and present grandfather . We all support him . ' Third wife Kris Jenner , mother of his daughters Kendall , 19 , and Kylie , 17 , has yet to speak publicly about what 's going on with Bruce . Her daughter Kim Kardashian told reporters Friday in New York that the family will be sitting down together to watch his TV revelations . Ex reax : Bruce 's college sweetheart and first wife Chrystie ( left ) still sees Bruce at family gatherings and says she just wants him to be happy . Third wife Kris ( right ) has not yet said anything publicly about how she feels .
Friday 's tweet is the first public comment Linda has made about her former husband 's personal journey . She compared his anticipated TV revelations about his 'true self ' to the magnitude of his Olympic achievement . An ex-girlfriend of Elvis Presley , Linda tied the knot with Bruce in 1981 . The couple had two sons Brandon and Olympian before they divorced in 1986 .