I chose another road' Welsh rugby scion takes drag by storm

Sipping coffee in Cardiff Bay during a break from his day job as a personal trainer, Steele Quinnell, a scion of the Quinnell rugby dynasty, is matter of fact about how his path in life has diverged from that of his relatives.

- Bethan McKernan

Sipping coffee in Cardiff Bay during a break from his day job as a personal trainer, Steele Quinnell, a scion of the Quinnell rugby dynasty, is matter of fact about how his path in life has diverged from that of his relatives. His grandfather Derek, father Scott and uncles Craig and Gavin are renowned as literal and figurative giants in Welsh rugby - all well over 6ft tall, and fearless on the pitch.

"Rugby and singing are, I think, what you would say if you were asked to define Welsh culture," he said. "My dad's had a couple of operations, and he's got a cauliflower ear, all from playing rugby. I've got to be honest, I'd rather keep some looks and mobility... I picked the other road."

Like the other members of his family, Quinnell, 26, is in the public eye, but on a very different stage - as the drag queen Heidi Heights, an act he launched in the spring.

This month, the Ffos Las racecourse, where Quinnell regularly gigs, asked him to give an interview to the local paper to promote a race weekend, which then exploded online as delighted rugby fans realised there was a plot twist to the Quinnell legacy.