Unable to hide his feelings anymore, the 23-year-old gave up his chances of competing in Miss America three years ago and started injecting himself with testosterone instead.
Now Ashton lives as a man – and he loves working on his muscles and spending time with his straight girlfriend.
He said: "When I came out as transgender, people didn't understand that I wanted to be a man when I was such a pretty girl. But being this beautiful blonde girl wasn't really who I was inside.
"I'm much happier as a man and I don't miss the dresses and make-up – I love having stubble and biceps. This is my true self."
Ashton first felt unhappy about his gender when he was as a toddler but found it difficult to come out as transgender.
He explained: "My mum wanted me to do ballet and wear dresses, but I was a tomboy and into baseball.
"Deep down inside from an early age, I knew that I would be happier if I was a man. But everyone kept telling what a pretty girl I was, so I ignored my feeling and tried to fit in."
Ashton came out as a lesbian at the age of 13, but still felt the pressure to be "feminine".
He added: "I was attracted to girls but I still didn't feel I was being myself.
"I tried to be a girly lesbian and put a lot of effort into trying to convince people that I was happy.
"My friends and family encouraged me to be girlie so I went to the gym a lot and I did my hair and make-up every day. Lots of the girls at school were jealous of my looks."
Ashton's beauty caught the attention of local pageant coaches and at the age of 17 he started competing in beauty contests.
Over the next two years Ashton took part in over six pageants – bagging multiple trophies as well as being crowned runner-up in Miss Teen Columbus.
Ashton remembered: "I excelled in those beauty contests and my family were so proud of me when I did them. I knew I could make a good career from doing pageants but showing off my body in figure-hugging dresses didn't feel right.
"I thought if I kept showing people that I was the prettiest girl out there at these competitions then I wouldn't have these feelings of being a man inside.
"I didn't know anything about being transgender either so it was very confusing."
But by November 2011 Ashton started finding it difficult to suppress his desires and took part in his final pageant, Miss Ohio.
"My last pageant was Miss Ohio, which could have led to Miss America,” he said. “But when I was competing for Miss Ohio, I felt so uncomfortable and anxious on stage. I hated it. I couldn't keep up the act, messed up and broke down in tears after the show.”
Ashton began watching YouTube videos about trans men who were the same age, and they gave him the confidence to realise who he was and accept himself.
In February 2012 he came out as transgender and began living as a man but his confession shocked friends and family who didn’t understand why he would want to give up life as a “gorgeous woman”.
Ashton, who studies Public Affairs at university, continued: "I had grown up getting a lot of validation for my pretty looks so when I came out as transgender, lots of people were shocked and confused.
"It had only been about six months since my last pageant and people couldn't understand why I would want to throw my beauty queen future and beautiful looks away.
"Everyone said I would regret my decision.”
At the beginning, Ashton’s mother found his decision difficult to deal with.
He said: "My mum was devastated that I was throwing away all the effort and success that I had in pageants.
A year after he began taking testosterone, Ashton’s father paid for him to have a double mastectomy costing £5,600.
The youngster was thrilled to see the changes in his body and felt much more comfortable in his skin,
He said: "It was amazing being seen as a boy by everyone finally.
"After a few years on testosterone and my chest surgery, I started developing into the man I wanted to be. My voice got deeper and my chest was hairier.
"I love going to the gym now and lifting weights. I want to have masculine muscles and be really strong physically."
Ashton’s found love with his girlfriend of one year, Laura, but he’s not sure if he wants to undergo sexual re-assignment surgery.
"I have a girlfriend who loves me for who I am and I am happier than ever," Ashton said. "I’m still figuring out whether I want the gender-reassignment surgery and one day we hope to adopt kids."
In a bid to help other teens struggling with their gender, he runs a YouTube channel to raise awareness for trans issues.
He said: "YouTube really helped me through my transition and I wanted to give something back. I've had a beautiful outpouring of support from my viewers.
"I'm confident enough now to explore who I really am. I don't care what other people think anymore."
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/real-life/491930/Transgender-man-beauty-pageant-queen
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