Being a drag queen saved Mark's life - now he's using it to help others

KIND-HEARTED COUNCIL WORKER HAS RAISED MORE THAN £500K WITH CHARITY PERFORMANCES

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

WHEN Nottingham City Council worker Mark Preston was 37, he travelled to Blackpool after going through the toughest period of his life.

Having struggled with his mental health for a number of years and, at one point, attempting to take his own life, Mark was keen for a fresh start away from his life in Giltbrook.

While by the coast, a few ex-Army friends signed him up for a drag show contest in an attempt to cheer him up - but he was having none of it.

"I wasn't going to do it, I kicked off and I said 'I'm not dressing up' but they still made me do it, so I just kept rehearsing," Mark explained.

But the minute he stepped onstage in a wig and full makeup, something changed.

"I loved it - I wasn't brilliant looking those days, but it helped me with my mental health, and when I was on that stage, I wasn't Mark any more."

Instead, Mark, now 62, was Miss Zandra Pepper, his drag persona which he has continued to perform throughout the 25 years since.