So,did you think you were in with a chance of winning when you went into the competition?
Not really. I was very flattered by all the support I was getting from celebrities who were saying they'd like me to win, people like the Liberty X girls and Julian from Queer Eye.

Who persuaded you to go in for Mr Gay UK ?
It was something I was contemplating, so I just called one friend and said, 'You've got to come with me, I'm going in for Mr Gay UK‘. And he was like, 'Why do you want to do that?‘
It's a good question.

Weren't you embarrassed getting up on stage in your pants?
I think everybody was embarrassed. I'm really not one for showing my body off, not even in clubs. I feel really self-conscious about my body. But I suppose I wasn't so self-conscious that I couldn't go on stage in front of thousands!

What were the other contestants like?
They were all quite young-looking. I think the concept of Mr Gay UK has changed over the years. If you look at earlier ones, it was all these big muscle marys, which I actually like.

What's it really like backstage, because everyone always says, 'Oh, everyone's so supportive‘, but you all want to win, don't you?
Nobody spoke to each other, everyone was too nervous. There were crowds of us in the corridor and everyone was just sitting there looking at the floor.

And the day itself, was it spent having fake tans and facials?
Oh God, no. We started rehearsals at half-past ten in the morning and we literally didn't have any time to ourselves until ten o'clock at night when the show started. We weren't even allowed to go and have a shower. They didn't want us to leave the place, in case someone got nerves and went off or got lost or something.

What did your parents think about all this?
My mum was actually there. She jumped on the stage with my sister and my auntie. My stepdad was at home supporting me.

Was he really supporting you, or was he deeply ashamed about it?
No, he's totally fine with me. He's been totally supportive throughout. My granddad was actually watching it as well. When he was told, he was a bit unsure, but now he's really, really proud.

Is it degrading when you're being judged on the shape of your arse?
No, I didn't feel it was like that. It's all about personality.
It's so not about personality!
Well, if you got someone who was drop-dead gorgeous and they went up on stage and acted like a stuck-up twat, you wouldn't vote for him.

How many sections are there?
The first round was 'Suited and Booted‘, so you had to be all dressed up. You didn't really have your kit off until it got down to the last ten. Then you had your fantasy round. I went as a builder. You had Phantomof the Opera...

Whose fantasy is that?
I don't know. A guy went as a caveman, rugby players, football players...

Were any of them your fantasy?
Not really. I fancy heavier guys, stocky guys. I'm actually very relaxed about who I go for now, I'll even go for younger people.

You're becoming a slut at the age of 20.
I'm not becoming a slut! But age doesn't bother me. Look at someone like Bruce Willis, and he's 50.

Have you got a boyfriend?
No. I don't tend click with anybody. I've never had a boyfriend, and now I'm so used to being single that I don't think I could cope with being asked to do things or being around someone the whole time. I've had three- or four-week boyfriends, but that was just meeting people.

So, how many men have you shagged?
You're so not getting me to answer that one.

When did you come out?
When I was 16. I came out to my mum, but I was going through a bit of a hard time with it, and so I went back in again. My mum, she didn't have a clue, so it was quite a bit of a shock for her and my friends at school, all 16, straight lads were all 'Ooh gay men, bah!‘, like that. It made it easier for my mum, going back in. She had time to adjust.

How do you go back in?
I just said, 'Oh, I've changed my mind. It was just a phase.‘

And was your mum relieved?
Yeah, but I think she's fine about it now. My mum wasn't rejecting me or anything, but she didn't have a clue.

Will you now be working extensively towards world peace and with disadvantaged children and animals?
I will do everything I can to help. I had to make a wish list of things I'd like to do and I put opening supermarkets down, just for camp. I'd like to appear in Will & Grace, I'd like to be in a soap like Hollyoaks or Coronation Street, go and meet Todd. I'd like to do Celebrity Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!. I've got to go off to Gran Canaria to do a calendar and I've got an invitation from Most Haunted Live and I'm doing something with Cilla Black, a two-hour show about all of the shows she's presented and she's doing like a Will & Grace Blind Date-type thing. And I'm doing a dance video for Soraya and they're in talks about me releasing a single.

Can you sing?
I'm not tone deaf, but I'm not the best singer. I wouldn't do anything really cheesy.

Well, it's not going to be Bob Dylan, is it?
But if it was really cheesy, Cheeky Girls stuff...

Did you have to provide sexual favours to win?
No! Absolutely not! There was always the rumour and I sort of expected it. I wondered if I had to sleep with someone to win this, but I didn't, and it's paid off.

Would you have?
No. I'd like to know that I've won something for myself and not just for what my mouth can do.

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