My double life...

Hi Guys, confession time! I have more than one job. My first job is as managing director of Nightair Disco's Ltd which I have done for thirty years this year. My second job is impersonating Simon Cowell.... no really, it is. It started over eight years ago when my brother Geoff suggested that I had similar features to the Pop Idol judge and why not send some pics to a lookalike agency? I had a haircut, hitched up my trousers, arranged for a photographer to take some pictures and the work started rolling in. I started judging karaoke competitions and making appearances as 'Simon' and before long found myself on The Richard and Judy Show with Simon Cowell who was promoting his book 'I Don't mean to Be Rude' Si thought I was a great lookalike of himself and even presented me with a badge '100% approved by Simon Cowell'. I had a chat with him after the show and he encouraged me to keep going as 'Simon' This clip is still on You Tube and also my website Simoncowelllookalike.com.

The amazing range of events and shows I am invited to be involved with is always a suprise and a pleasure. I have become good friends with many other people who impersonate famous characters, through being on Facebook and personal contacts and other jobs I am called to work at. One of my favourite and more unusual jobs was to help judge the smells of car interiors over a five day period around the UK assisted by a smells expert, for a company marketing air freshner products, This promotion was called ' The Stinx Factor' !

I have appeared as 'Simon' in two books by Alison Jackson, an artist who uses lookalikes in her work to blur the boundries of reality and fiction to comedic effect.

One of my contacts Andy Harmer, as 'David Beckham' invited me to join a lookalike group called The Chippendoubles with the specific mission of appearing on Britain's Got Talent 2010. This was the first act ever to feature a group of top lookalikes. The line up as well as Beckham and Cowell included Ramsay, Will Smith, Mr T, David Brent and James Bond. I accepted the challenge and after several months of rehearsals and trips up and down the M1 and help from legendary mastemix DJ John Faulkner we had our act ready for the auditions. The act went down so well at The London Apollo auditions that we had a five minute standing ovation from the crowd which was absolutely incredible. The judges loved it and Simon said it was one of his favourite acts.

This act continues to delight audiences around the world, so I am part of a great team of guys all with many years experience in entertainment. It's great socially too when  the seven of us get together as we all get on really well, and to see the looks on people's faces when we all walk into a building together is priceless.

Last week The Sunday Mirror set up a photoshoot with 'Simon' and Roger, a David Walliams lookalike to show the depth of 'Bromance' between the two of them. On checking the date, readers may have spotted that it came out on April 1st !

The fun continues but I get to go out as a wedding DJ too on my regular gigs at some of Nottingham's most beautiful locations with Nightair Discos. I get some interesting reactions when "Simon Cowell" turns up to DJ a wedding!