Transgender icon. Celebrity model. Trailblazing star.

Katya Saunders was a woman who inspired conflicting emotions in those who knew her, but one fact remains undisputed. Above all else, she was a star.

As one of the first openly transgender persons in Malta, Katya was complicated. She made waves within the LGBTQ+ community for never compromising on her truth - but she was also a woman who faced incredible emotional and mental challenges that led to difficult situations for her and for those who were close to her.

In following Katya’s journey from Malta to London, New York and beyond, author Ramona Depares creates an immersive narrative that attempts to sift fact from the legend. Did Katya really have an intimate relationship with David Bowie and Mick Jagger? Did she pose with Bianca Jagger for Yves Saint Laurent? Did her alleged friendship with then Prime Minister Dom Mintoff facilitate a gender change on her birth certificate?

This book answers some of the above questions and gives rise to new ones as we follow Katya on her fearless quest to be a diva. Because a star is always a star, no matter how old and no matter how far.