Duncan James seemed a world away from his early days, a squeaky clean boy band image this week as he performed in drag to raise money for charity.
The singer rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the group Blue, along with band members Anthony costa, Lee Ryan and Simon Webbe.
Blue enjoyed huge success in the UK and got back together in 2022 for their anniversary, much to the delight of the fans.
And society has changed since the four men first got together to start the band.
When Blue first got on the air, Duncan, who is gay, was afraid to come out and recently talked about how he pretended to date Geri Halliwell from Spice Girls to hide his sexuality.
Now happily in a relationship with his long-term boyfriend Rodrigo, Duncan is unabashedly himself, and this week he stepped full steam ahead to raise vital funds for charitable research.
The Breathe Easy singer performed in London in a stunning outfit that included a long black and red wig, a leather corset and leather underwear, fishnet tights and high heels.
Crafted in bold dark eyeliner and bold red lipstick, the musician boomed out the tunes as part of the Jog On Cancer campaign.
Duncan appeared at the London venue Proud Cabaret as part of the Cabaret All Stars production, along with a cast of backup dancers.
Duncan initially came out as bisexual in a 2009 interview and privately came out to his bandmate Simon as gay in 2012, before telling his mother.
He recently spoke to The Mirror about how comfortable he is in his own skin after years of hiding his true self.
“I was playing Pride with Blue and I felt so hypocritical because everyone was celebrating their sexuality and I was still in the closet,” he explained.
‘Now I play Blue hits and songs from the musical theater at full speed. I love it!’
Duncan credits his friend Rodrigo for helping him feel “really comfortable” about his sexuality, and the couple have been together for four years now.
“He was the first partner I had who wasn’t ashamed to hold my hand,” he said.
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LAKE : Blue’s Duncan James confronted by fan who claimed he got her pregnant: ‘I’m gay – I’m not’
