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Caitlyn Jenner’s Mom Esther Jenner Reacts to Vanity Fair Cover Reveal: “I Still Have to Call Him Bruce”

Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner's mom Esther Jenner reacted to the Olympian's Vanity Fair cover reveal, calling her "beautiful" and saying she still planned to call her Bruce.

Mom, meet Caitlyn! Jenner family matriarch Esther Jenner reacted to Caitlyn Jenner‘s debut as a woman on the July 2015 cover of Vanity Fair on Monday, June 1.

“She’s beautiful!” Kylie and Kendall’s grandmother, 88, told Access Hollywood.

“I was there last week, well, actually, I got home a week and a half ago,” Esther continued. “And I met Caitlyn. She is… so much more at ease.”

Related: PHOTOS: Caitlyn Jenner's journey through the years

Caitlyn’s mom added that she planned to call her child by her birth name — for now. “I still have to call him Bruce,” Esther told Access Hollywood. “His father and I named him that.”

Bruce Jenner and Linda Thompson with his parents and sister
This throwback photo from June 1980 shows Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce Jenner) with his then-fiancee Linda Thompson, and parents William and Esther Jenner, and his sister Lisa at a Can’t Stop the Music event in L.A.

Esther said it was just a matter of transitioning on her end, too. “It’s going to be a struggle for me to get used to the change,” she confessed, “but happily so… I’m very happy for him — or her!”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs' coming out stories

The cover released on Monday by Vanity Fair featured the former decathlete in a tiny corset, confidently posing against a mirrored wall as she revealed her new self.

While Caitlyn has already drawn comparisons to actress Jessica Lange, Esther claimed that her child looked like another member of the Jenner clan. “You know who she reminds me of?” Esther told the program. “My granddaughter, Samantha. There is a lot of Sam!” (Caitlyn has two sisters, Lisa and Pam.)

Related: PHOTOS: Celeb LGBT alies

Along with Esther, other Kardashian and Jenner family members have publicly supported Caitlyn and her stunning cover via social media. “How beautiful!” Kim Kardashian tweeted. “Be happy, be proud, live life YOUR way!” Her sisters Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, and Kylie expressed similar sentiments.

“Be free now pretty bird,” Kendall wrote.

Related: PHOTOS: Kardashian family vacation album

In the profile, Caitlyn discussed her life prior to transitioning. “Bruce always had to tell a lie,” the 65 year old recalled of her previous persona to Friday Night Lights author and journalist Buzz Bissinger. “He was always living that lie. Every day he always had a secret from morning ’til night… Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets. Soon as the Vanity Fair cover comes out, I’m free.”

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