The performer earns up to £100 an hour as a mythical sea creature
Jasmine Seales' amazing story hit the headlines recently after she transformed her life into every little girl's (and some boys) dream.
The stress of dealing with grieving families as a funeral director got too much for the 28-year-old, so she turned to the water for inspiration.
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Speaking on Dermot and Dave, Jasmine tells us how the opportunity arose thanks to a serendipitous social media post; "I've always loved swimming. I just saw it advertised on Facebook about a mermaid camp".
Based in Reading, the camp is an official qualification that involves free diving - so it's no joke. Jasmine had to train rigorously twice a week to learn the correct tail technique and how to control her breathing.
Seales performs at aquarium shows, festivals and various other events and has built up her own business called Mermaid Asylum. 'Custom silicone designs made to order and everything mermaid. All created using dragon skin platinum silicone.'
And although Jasmine suffers from fibromyalgia, she hails the rheumatic condition for what it has done for her;
if i didn't have fibromyalgia I don't think I would have ever found mermaiding
She also took part in the Miss Mermaid UK pageant in October and wowed us with the news of a mermaid World Championships, or "Merlympics" as it's known, that was held in China this year.
'The world's most beautiful underwater sports competition. Mermaid swimming is a combination of technical swimming skills, acrobatic figures, breath-holding, artistry and mermaid tail costumes. The main movement is a full-body wave called dolphin kick':
The niche activity has been booming in the US but is only now getting popular in the UK.
So there ya have it - mermaids do exist! I'm off to live the rest of my days as a unicorn.
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