Donna Lee

A make-up artist behind Ant and Dec's drag transformation says their primetime TV performance will help Young People see LGBTQ+ representation in a positive light.

Ellis Atlantis joined RuPaul's make-up mogul Raven in serving looks for Ant and Dec's drag Alter Egos Lady Antoinette and Miss Donna Lee on ITV's Saturday Night Takeaway.

" While I was doing Dec's make-up I said to him: 'You might not realise this, but when you go Out There in drag and you do this song on a mainstream stage it's going to change so many young queer children's lives'. And he totally got it, " said Ellis.

Ant and Dec performed On Stage during their Saturday Night show with Drag Race UK winners The Vivienne, Lawrence Chaney and Krystal Versace in a performance of We Werk Together - a single to raise money for food bank charity The Trussell Trust.

They were praised for bringing drag to a mainstream audience with Takeaway, which can pull in More Than an episode.

Ellis, winner of The First series of Bbc Three 's make-up competition Glow Up, said he was Blown Away by the positive response to the drag set from parents on Social Media .

One mum posted an emotional video on Twitter saying her 12-year-old son is bullied for wearing make-up.

In a message to Ant and Dec, She Said : " What you've done tonight is just amazing. It's going to show everyone around The World it's ok to be who you want to be. "

Reacting to her video, Ellis told Newsbeat: " It's really personal to me as my mum is my biggest supporter.

" It reminds me how lucky I Am and shows me that The World is changing and parents are showing up and accepting their children as being who they were born to be.

" I never saw any drag when I was Growing Up and I hope that this will help The Way children feel about themselves and what they are capable of and help them be more inspired for their future. "

The 27-year-old said one of his biggest fears as a gay man or when wearing drag was being ridiculed by straight men.

" To be alone in a dressing room with a Straight Man doing his make-up I almost felt vulnerable but Dec was so welcoming, warm and friendly and he really understood, " said Ellis.

" He told me they'd had the idea to do a drag performance for a while and originally they were going to go off stage and come Back on in drag in Four Minutes .

" But they decided if they were going to do it they wanted to do it properly and pay respect to the drag community and that in itself was really reassuring. "

Ellis said his transformation of Dec took just under two hours while Raven painted Ant in another dressing room.

He Said : " Having two straight men on mainstream TV doing drag alongside actual working drag queens is such a fabulous thing.

" They're showing it's fun. Anyone and everyone should try drag once in their lives, it's such a liberating, freeing feeling.

" You get to become Someone Else while still being yourself. "

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Source of news: bbc.com