EVER wanted something so bad you were prepared to jump out of a plane for it?

Nick McCluskey opted for his own kind of air time after hearing his favourite national radio station was running a competition to find new presenters with their own regular show.

The 22-year-old former Acland Burghley boy who grew up on the Elthorne estate in Archway wanted to create an application that stood out.

After hearing this week that he has made a shortlist of six, he said: “The background I came from… well, you didn’t really think you would achieve much.

“So to be a finalist of a national radio competition, well, it all feels surreal.

“I left home at 16 and I’ve been working ever since. I’m really pushing to make some-thing of myself. I want to do more than just working.”

Mr McCluskey, who lives in Archway, said he would use his show to focus on preventing attacks on LGBTQ+ people.

“We all hear about how society is adapting, however, the number of attacks on queer people is going up and up. What can we do to promote personal safety? How can we be more socially aware?

“How can we protect the nightlife that is such a huge part of our scene? I think when you grow up on an estate, I got street wise. I was always aware of what was going on around me.

“He recalled how growing up at home he liked to dance to the different music channels on the radio, adding: “I don’t know how mum didn’t know I was gay when I was twerking away to Beyonce.

“As I’ve grown older I’ve found Hits Radio Pride so helpful. It has carried me a long way.”

Recalling the actual dive in Ely in Cambridgeshire, he said: “I booked the sky dive at 8pm for the following morning.

“I rocked up at the Travelodge but they had no rooms so I sat in the foyer until 5am. They let me have a shower in the morning but I hadn’t had any sleep.

“It was all so last minute but I felt like me jumping out of the plane had become a metaphor for just letting loose.

“I felt completely numb, until I started putting on the suit. That’s when I started to s*** myself. I was a nervous wreck, but I had to focus on keeping smiling and waving to the camera.”

The deadline is Sunday to vote for Nick:

https://planetradio.co.uk/hits-radio-pride/competitions/win/ee-future-star-voting-sponsored/