Jamie Durie says he is proud of his stripper past

Before he became Oprah Winfrey’s go-to landscape designer, Jamie Durie was a globetrotting stripper — and he’s not ashamed to say it.

Former Manpower star Jamie Durie says his stripper past helped stir his confidence to take on the world and succeed.

Durie, who is now a globally famous gardener and landscape designer, with Oprah Winfrey on speed dial, says his Manpower days gave him a sense of conviction and a strong world view.

“To go out and try anything, you’ve got to be confident, you’ve got to believe in what you stand for, which I always have done,” Durie told the Herald Sun.

“Travelling around the world enabled me to (study at) ... university of life.

“I was in South Africa aged 17, Las Vegas at 19, and playing in Paris and London when I was 21. By the time I turned 24, I’d been around the world 30 or 40 times. Your mind absorbs a lot when you’re that age. You soak it up like a little sponge.”

The former Backyard Blitz host’s comments came after he was unmasked on Ten’s reality singing show, The Masked Singer, on Sunday.

Jamie Durie (second from right) and members of male stripper group Manpower.

Jamie Durie is now designing gardens and green spaces for hotels and resorts worldwide.

His fiancee, Ameka Jane, is a singer and gave Durie, disguised on the show as Tiger, performance tips.

“Her advice was be yourself, relax, get into the character, and don’t coffee before rehearsal, Apparently, coffee puts pressure in your voice,” Durie said.

“I don’t know if the other talent knew I’m just a glorified gardener. I was lucky to get as far as I did, to be honest. But to be on stage (against) professional singers ... was pretty harrowing.”

Asked if it was disadvantageous, or unfair, to sing against seasoned pros, Durie said: “Of course it is. But it’s the luck of the draw, really. You don’t know who’s in the competition.

“I didn’t see anyone the entire time I was there. I didn’t see one other performer. It was weird. I came in in a bubble, and went out in a bubble.”

Durie with his fiancee, Ameka Jane.

On the show, an emotional Durie said he first stepped on stage, as a performer, aged 16. He turned to performance after a difficult childhood.

“I’m still that nervous little boy with a chip on his shoulder that needs to prove something,’ Durie told the Herald Sun.

“Everyone’s who’s had some hard knocks in life comes out punching, and that’s who I’ve been my whole life, I guess.

“But today I’m punching for my family, which feels even better. Having my little baby girl, Beau, (born last July) has certainly changed my life. Everything is about my family, and there’s something nice about that.

“I’ve been very career focused most of my life. Now I’m career focused for them. It feels more meaningful.”

Durie’s gardening and landscaping empire led him to featuring on Oprah Winfrey’s US TV show for four years.

Durie designs gardens and green spaces for hotels and resorts worldwide.

Originally published as Jamie Durie says he is proud of his stripper past