Uddingston's Graeme Murphy in running for Mr Scotland

Apr 16 2008 By Carla Callaghan

Graeme Murphy, a 23 year-old Royal Marine from Uddingston has made it to the final 11 of the 2008 Mr Scotland competition.

Graeme Murphy, a 23 year-old Royal Marine from Uddingston has made it to the final 11 of the 2008 Mr Scotland competition.

The Hamilton Advertiser Online catches up with the hunk himself to hear about life as a Mr Scotland contender and his demanding job as a Royal Marine.

Graeme beams: “I’ve been in the paper every day and people are starting to recognise me. I went up to get tyres on my car today and the guys at the place were like ‘look who it is! It’s Mr Scotland!’”

Graeme laughs at the amount of attention he is getting and seems to be taking it in his stride.

Originally, Graeme’s entry into the contest was treated as a joke when his brother entered him into the competition when he was away on tour with the Marines.

He says: “It was my big brother Allan and his girlfriend Natalie who originally entered me and it just kind of snowballed from there.”

He adds: “I think there is a lot of competition, there are a lot of different styles. The competition is about your average guy that you find in the street. There are a lot of good looking guys that are in for it.”

With £2,000 prize money up for a grabs and a modelling contract to be snapped up, Graeme is laid-back about the winnings.

He says: “I’ve not even thought about the prize money, I’d obviously give Allan and Natalie their fair share because they started the ball rolling – and I’d probably put money towards getting a motorbike.”

Throughout the conversation, glances are shot from all corners of the pub in Graeme’s direction. He casually drinks a beer, unaware of the attention he is attracting.

On the prospect of winning the coveted Mr Scotland title, Graeme says he would love to win to be able to promote the fantastic work of the Royal Marines.

He says: “Hopefully if I won I could spread the word about the Royal Marines and maybe get a few more recruits for us. So hopefully it would be a good bit of advertising for the Marines as well.”

He adds: “I’m just absolutely delighted to get this far, it’s been a great laugh and I’m really flattered.

On why he thinks he should win, Graeme laughs: “I’m pretty much your average guy, I work really hard and I’m away from home a lot of the time, so its good to do something like this then come home and be recognised not only for the physical aspects but also for what I’ve done with my life so far. I’m just your normal, friendly guy.

On a more serious note, he continues: “I’ve sacrificed a lot in my life like girlfriends and really good relationships. I was pretty much in love but had to sacrifice it for my job.

“I also had to sacrifice my football career and I’ve drifted apart from a lot of mates due to the nature of the job I am in.”

However, Graeme focuses on the positives and is thankful to everyone who has supported him.

He said: “The support I’ve been getting is absolutely overwhelming, I didn’t expect so much support, everyone has been great. I’ve been getting messages of support through my Bebo page from people I haven’t spoken to for years and saying ‘you’ve got our vote, we think its fantastic’.

“It’s a good laugh and I’ll get as far as I get. I don’t want people to think I’m full of myself but now that I’m in a bit further now, I’m taking it more seriously.”

On his tough career as a Royal Marine, Graeme says: “I joined the marines for a challenge and I wanted to do something really positive.

“It’s renowned for being the hardest basic military training in the world.  For me personally, it was a real nightmare to get through because I broke my foot twice in training, so it took me twice as long, with twice as much training to get through.”

Modest and with an immense amount of respect for fellow Marines, Graeme says: “I am a small fish in a big pond, the guys I work with are some of the bravest guys I have ever met in my life. These guys have been to places like Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. I’ve served in the Middle East, but I am still an inexperienced marine and I am still learning.”

Fiercely proud of his career, the former Holy Cross pupil adds: “At the end of the day, if I wasn’t anything else, I was a Royal Marine.”

Graeme jokes: “A year from now, I’d like to be handing over my Mr Scotland crown.”

After fits of laughter, Graeme adds, seriously: “I’d like to be going for promotion within the Marines and being with a girl that totally understands my job and will be with me no matter what.”

Today (Weds) is the final day of voting for Graeme. To vote for Graeme to stay in the competition,
Text: scot9 to 88010 or cast your vote via telephone on 09011 214 409

Check out the Graeme’s bebo page to leave messages of support and to find out how he gets on throughout the competition.

 http://www.bebo.com/the-p-slayer