Who am I?

I was born a few years ago in the city of Southampton. I grew up with various different ambitions, I wanted to be a social worker, a singer, an actor and even at one point a nurse!

I first got into Drag when I was 18. A Club I was working in was throwing a "Priscilla" themed night and I dragged up for the very first time. I was Christened "Burly Chasis" and for a while I dragged up at weekends. However when I left the club I left Ms Chasis and drag behind too!

Scroll forward a few years to January 2004 and I was sat in the back bar of a pub in Leeds called The New Penny, getting quietly pissed with a friend when the manager was complaining about not having a karaoke host. I piped up that I'd hosted the odd night "down South"... when he said he specifically wanted a drag queen I said I'd done that too! Whether he was desperate, was just willing to give anyone a go or saw something in me that he thought would work I still don't know but he gave me a start and 2 weeks later with dodgy make-up and an even dodgier wig Anna Glypta was born!

I stayed at "The Pennoir" for three years and during that time taught myself to DJ, got involved with Pride events, caught the performance bug and through working with other Drag Queens steadily improved my look and my act! I am immensely proud to have worked on the same stage that had previously played host to such well known drag queens as Lilly Savage, Zoe, Cher Travestie and many many more.

After three years I left to work at another local bar and it was here at The Viaduct Showbar that I began to truly discover my love for performing cabaret and singing live. In 2005 I put together The Viaduct Showgirls with Carla Jackson and Beau Baker, who would eventually be replaced by Mindy LeWhore.

After 18 months I also joined the new team at Blayds and with Ruby Loren put together the double act "The Champagne Showgirls". My time at Blayds was very happy and I am proud to have played my part in resurrecting this fab venue but after a few months I was made an offer I couldn't refuse and rejoined The Viaduct Showbar team full time. A new Viaduct Showgirl line-up was put together and with boy dancers the show became very successfull until the credit crunch and recession meant that some cutbacks were made and our happy band of five became two... Myself and my current comedy-cabaret partner: Anja Bach. Collar 'N' Cuffs Cabaret was born. Our show mixes mime and live and has been a whopping success both at The Viaduct Showbar and in venues up and down the country. In 2010 we took up a summer residency at The Polar Bear in Hull and this too has proven popular.

~During this time I have finally put my own solo show together. "Anna Glypta: LARGER Than Life!" was a long time in the making and is something I am incredibly proud of. I sing live, I perform mime numbers and I have a lot of audience participation numbers. I still love DJing and take both residencies and one off DJ bookings up and down the UK.

Since 2004 I've been honoured with an entry into the Leeds Pride Awards Hall of Fame, become "Creative Controller" of Drag 4 U, judged Drag Idol for three years, appeared on the BBC and Bio, written a regular column for Shout! magazine, featured in the national press, had successfull summer seasons in Scarborough and Hull and performed and sang in front of tens of thousands of people at Pride events all over the UK.

It's not always been easy doing this job and one picture in the gallery shows that being a bloke in a frock can be dangerous at times and isn't always glamour and glitter but I can honestly say that I LOVE what I do! And hopefully if you've read this you do too!