When you think of well-groomed men with movie-star looks, Montrose is the place that sticks out like a chiselled jawline.
No? Well local man Tony Fortunato would beg to differ as he prepares to represent Scotland in the final of a contest to find Britain’s best-groomed man.
The 23-year-old gym instructor beat thousands of entrants to make the last 30 in the competition from luxury shaving brand the Bluebeards Revenge and male cancer charity Orchid.
With a lucrative modelling contract waiting for the winner, Tony’s eyes are firmly on the prize, but he is also keen to raise awareness of the message behind the event.
He said: “As a fitness instructor I am a health fanatic. I eat and drink all the right things. But cancer can strike even the healthiest man and I want to use this competition to raise the awareness of male cancer.
“Male cancers are not given the same amount of media coverage as female cancers and this is something I want to help to change.”
“I want to get more men talking about male cancer; I want them to open up and discuss the disease with their friends and family.
“Ultimately, we need to get more men self-checking on a regular basis as early detection is the key to survival.”
An online public vote has now been launched to decide the winner.
A recent survey commissioned by the organisers revealed that while men are spending more time in the bathroom and the ‘grooming gender gap’ is narrowing, they are still failing to self-check for cancer unlike their female counterparts.
Rebecca Porta, chief executive of Orchid, said: “Regular grooming not only makes you look and feel more confident it gives you an opportunity to take an active interest in your physical wellbeing.
“The bathroom is the prime place for men to check for signs of male cancer.”
Research from the charity shows that 75% of UK men recognise that a lump in the testes could be a sign of testicular cancer, but 25% still never check themselves.
To vote for Tony visit bluebeards-revenge.co.uk/bgvote.