Best Will In The World

He’s made a living pretending to be the world’s most eligible bachelor, and with a royal wedding this April, Marc Rattigan is going to be busier than ever. In between photo shoots and studying to be a radiographer, life has never been more hectic, but Marc is happy to talk about the controversial Big Fat Gypsy Weddings.

He describes the show as “pure sensationalism” and knows what his granny, the late Lizzy Gavin, would have made of it. “If she were alive today, she'd be kicking up a fuss because it has nothing to do with the traditional influences of the Irish Traveller way of life.”

Lookalike Mark was first noticed in 1997. "My family were watching the televised funeral of William's mother, Princess Diana,” he says. “At school the following day everyone, including the teachers, greeted me with 'Your Royal Highness' or 'Will'."

Marc has travelled the world, donates a part of his fees to a children’s hospice and never forgets his ancestry. “My father was born in Athlone, Eire, and comes from a long line of traditional Irish Travellers. I am very proud of my Irish Traveller roots and I would not swap them for the world.”