Joiner works as a drag queen by night and has a £5k wardrobe of glam dresses

David Gibson, also known as Eva Waye, 49, has spent the past two years moonlighting as an incredible drag queen.

The joiner, from Long Eaton, Nottingham, has a drag wardrobe worth more than £5,000 and it is filled with bedazzled bikinis, short dresses and styled wigs.

David and his wife, Wendy, 67, adore throwing drag events together and they have even raised thousands of pounds for local charities.

‘I’ve always loved watching people dressing up and doing their makeup routine,’ David said.

‘I just love everything about drag too, from the performance, to the fit, the makeup and just talking and interacting with people.

‘I class myself as a glamorous body queen, I love to show everything off and I have a lot of body confidence.

‘I find being a drag queen so empowering, as soon as I’ve got the wig, the clothes, the shoes and makeup on, I feel totally different.

Picture of David during the day and by night

‘It’s crazy to see myself in the mirror.

‘The only annoying thing is just how long it takes to get ready, it used to take me well over two hours to just do my makeup, although I can do it in just under an hour now.’

Eva Waye, David’s drag queen persona, always looks her best, but this doesn’t come without a strict grooming regime.

‘I get a tan once a week using a sunbed for about £9, it keeps my skin looking amazing, so I don’t feel the need to wear skin-coloured tights anymore,’ David explained.

‘I shave everywhere. It felt uncomfortable at first, but I hate it when my hairs get long now and can’t wait to shave them all off.

‘I love growing my nails long, as I hate fake nails, but I find it’s quite hard to do working as joiner as they can snap off at any point, especially when carrying large pieces of timber.

‘I’m a huge fan of bikinis and anything that shows off my body, so I have to make sure that I look my best at all times.’

Because of the sheer size of David’s drag wardrobe, David and Wendy have had to rent out a storage unit.

‘I have so many clothes, heels, wigs, and quite a bit of makeup, then there’s all of the items we need to be able to put a show on, it definitely wouldn’t fit inside our narrowboat home,’ he noted.

‘I just love buying clothes that make me look good, I’ve bought a few dresses from high street stores, but I mainly get my over-the-top pieces from professional drag stores.

‘I’m all about looking my best.

‘I’ve got everything from thongs, bikinis, see through jackets, short and long dresses, and I’ve even made a few pieces.

‘My favourite pieces are my studded bikini and my bright red 50’s wig with tight little curls, it looks stunning.

‘Wendy loves buying bits and pieces for me too and is always there to help me get ready for an event or to throw some looks together.’

David says he has only received support from friends, family and colleagues since he began his career as a drag queen two years ago.

‘You often hear a lot of horrible stories about nasty things that have happened to drag queens, but I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything like that,’ he added.

‘I love going out in drag and have noticed that people seem more scared of drag queens and kings then they should be!

‘I’m a self-employed joiner, but I work at a company that makes boats, despite the occasional joke from my colleagues, they all love coming to my shows and helping anyway they can.

‘Wendy and I have even started to do workshops with people who want to do drag but just don’t know how to get into it.

‘Being a drag queen is such a positive experience, and I’d recommend those who want to try it, do!

‘It’s so empowering and there’s a real magic to it.’

Wendy has also been a massive support to her husband.

‘David’s drag wardrobe is probably worth a lot more than mine, but we are both performers so we both have some lovely outfits,’ she says.

‘As his wife, if I did not have 100% trust in him that he was a straight man, I would probably have found it difficult to understand why he wanted to do his own drag act.

‘But I’m there for every show and just I love his commitment to his act, and I can see why he loves it so much.

‘He’s so approachable and the audience love him.

‘I get to share my life with him, and I love being able to source clothes for him, whilst he loves to paint my nails and do my makeup.’

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