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Daniel takes gay crown
Blackpool born Daniel Broughton has been crowned Mr Gay UK – and is dedicating his victory to his home town.
"I entered it for Blackpool and I won it for Blackpool," said the 21-year-old former Palatine and Blackpool and The Fylde College student. "It's time the town had some good news coming its way."
Now the telesales HR worker, who doubles as assistant stage manager at Funnygirls, says he intends flying the flag for Blackpool at whatever comes his way for the next 12 months.
As well as an initial cash prize of 3,000, Daniel is flying out to Morocco today for a photoshoot and has already been featured on Russell Brand's radio show and BBC TV's One Stop Show.
On his return he has various BBC commitments and other personal appearances to make.
"I'm getting loads of work lined up," he says. "It's just gone really mental and it's still sinking in –
I haven't really got my head round it all yet."
Although this was his first time entering "anything like this", Daniel says he was confident about his chances because of positive feedback to images on his website.
"Then I saw the other finalists and suddenly I thought that the competition I was against was too good for me," he said.
"I did get the loudest cheers but I also got the loudest boos so I just didn't know which way things would go until the judges made their decision."
He had originally wanted to enter last year but his confidence gave way at the last minute.
Even this year he nearly had second thoughts.
"Then I won my heat and started taking it seriously – working out at the gym and watching what I ate," he says. "It was pretty daunting, though, in front of celebrity judges and a packed audience in my home town,"
Even though he works at Funnygirls, the competition was the first time he had been on stage.
"In a way the easy part is over, though," he said. "The task for the winner is to become the next tv personality. I didn't realise that when I entered – I thought it was just for the title and I did that for Blackpool. Now I've got to work on the rest and get used to being in the spotlight. I think the hardest part is going to be watching what I say – I don't want to let anyone down or put my foot in it."
But it isn't about the prize money he insists and, in fact, he was torn about handing his day job and nightwork notice in.
"Everyone has been amazingly supportive and both employers have said I can go back eventually if that's what I want," said Daniel.
A total of 22 finalists from throughout the UK strutted their stuff at The Flamingo in Blackpool for the final.
Earlier in the evening Daniel had been hotly favoured by a BBC judging panel including Michael Aspel, a former Miss World Judge, on BBC1's The One Stop Show, broadcast live from Blackpool.
Celebrity couple Michelle Scott-Lee from Liberty X and her husband Andy Scott-Lee, a former Pop Idol finalist, were the hosts, The Sheilas – best known for the Sheila's Wheels ads – were the star turn
and the celebrity judges in the
club included Shabaz from Big Brother, Hollyoaks star James Sutton and Soapstar Superstar's Leon Lopez.
Leeds Rhino Lee Smith and his girlfriend Verity Rushworth, the Emmerdale actress, were judges too.
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Weather for Blackpool
Sunday 12 February 2012
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