Martyn Dias has spent much of his professional career trying to be someone else. The 46-year-old is a professional Elvis Presley impersonator.
Known as Elvis Shmelvis, Mr Dias scooped £500 in a European Elvis-impersonating competition, held at the Rendezvous Casino in Brighton last month.
He has since been called for a cameo appearance on BBC One’s Holby City, appearing as Elvis in a Las Vegas wedding dream sequence. “I seem to be the one they always call for when they need an Elvis,” the father-of-two tells People. Other television stints include the Kilroy Show, Blue Peter, The One Show and GMTV, plus a variety of game shows.
According to Mr Dias, he and his wife Sue — now his manager -— make a better living than in their former jobs as managers for an IT company. But he admits that living the life of a semi-celebrity does have its challenges, particularly since the Elvis hairstyle and sideburns, which are a permanent feature of his appearance, mark him out whether he is in character or not. “And when I do appear as Elvis Shmelvis, there is always a queue of people wanting my autograph, or to have their photo taken with me,” he says.
