LIFE as a beauty king proved a drag for a North-East engineer, who has become the first British entrant in an international beauty contest for cross-dressers.

By day, Gavin Beales is a 41-year-old suit-wearing businessman who runs a power tool company in County Durham.

At weekends, he steps into high heels and glamorous gowns and becomes sexy blonde Leah True, a regular on the London club circuit - usually with his girlfriend, 49-year-old cardiac nurse Sue Brown.

Although he has kept his other life hidden from his family and friends, his secret will be shattered tomorrow night when he appears on national TV.

Mr Beales, from Newcastle, was filmed by Channel 4 travelling to Thailand where he joined 26 contestants from all over the world competing for the title of Miss International Queen.

Cameras followed him taking deportment lessons and making his national costume, an elaborate creation with twinkling fairy lights and two Union flags, which open out like wings.

But life on the beauty circuit proved more difficult than he expected.

The popular event attracted 10,000 viewers in Thailand and the group was treated like celebrities. Most were trans- sexuals and professional performers and competition for the $10,000 first prize was fierce.

Mr Beales, who lives most of his life as a man, found it difficult to keep up his female identity for days on end and admitted struggling to cope with the gruelling schedule.

He said: "At home, I feel quite special. In the tranny world I look quite good and I usually stand head and shoulders on top of the tree. I don't feel like that here."

As the pressure intensified, his relationship with Sue came under strain.

He said: "It's all a bit much really. It's a lot to ask of other people. I never thought it would be this hard.

"I knew it would be stressful but if it's affecting other people then it's not fair."

Sadly, there was no fairytale ending and Leah failed to make the top ten.

But the experience gave him the courage to tell his mother, Gene, and stepfather, Mike Kirby, about his secret life.

The programme Mr Miss World is screened at 10pm.