Kelvin Fletcher is currently starring in theatre production Jack Absolute Flies Again where he has had to undergo a complete transformation

Kelvin Fletcher looks completely unrecognisable with a handlebar moustache he’s sporting for his latest role.

The former Emmerdale star, 38, is currently starring in theatre production Jack Absolute Flies Again where he has had to undergo a complete transformation for character Dudley Scunthorpe.

And Kelvin certainly turned heads when he arrived at the press event for the show on Thursday night.

Showing off his substantial facial hair, the Strictly champ stood alongside co-star Kerry Howard as he showed off his statement new look.

Cutting a casual figure in a striped shirt, jeans and white trainers, Kelvin appeared in high spirits as he posed with Kerry, who is playing the character of Lucy.

Kelvin talked to the Metro about his physical transformation earlier this month, which he called a ‘ballsy move’.

Kelvin has a handlebar mustache for the play ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)

The actor looks completely unrecognisable ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)
The actor said: “Whenever I’ve seen somebody [with a moustache], I’ve gone, ‘Go on!’ Because sometimes you feel it’s quite a ballsy move [to have one], don’t you?”

The play is an adaptation of Restoration comedy The Rivals, and it is set during World War Two.

Jack Absolute Flies Again is co-written by Richard Bean, who is the man responsible for the National’s mega-hit farce, One Man, Two Guvnors.

The production has been described as slapstick comedy but also emotional, with a very moving final scene.

Kelvin’s character, Dudley Scunthorpe finds himself in a love triangle with the Jack Absolute and heroine Lydia Languish.

Kelvin has described Dudley as an ‘unassuming’ Northerner who other underestimate.

When he got the call to be in Jack Absolute Flies Again, Kelvin said both him and his agent were in tears.

Kelvin is performing at the National Theatre ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Kelvin first found fame in Emmerdale ( 
Image:
Dave Benett/Getty Images for Jaguar Land Rover)

Kelvin first became a household name when he rose to fame in Emmerdale in 1996.

He went on to win Best Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards aged just 15 and continued to be a familiar face in the Yorkshire Dales series for the next two decades.

He chose to leave the soap in 2016 when he was 32-years-old because he wanted to broaden his career.

In 2019 Kelvin took on the challenge of Strictly Come Dancing.

He went on to win and lift the glitterball trophy alongside dance partner Oti Mabuse.

However, he wasn’t even part of the original line-up and only ended up on the show due to Jamie Laing injuring himself last minute.

Kelvin is using his dance skills in Jack Absolute Flies Again in a scene where he does a swing number where he’s partnered up with another recent Strictly contestant, Caroline Quentin, who is playing the character of Mrs Malaprop.

The star is taking to the stage ( 
Image:
ITV)
Away from the showbiz world, Kelvin and his wife Liz decided to buy a Peak District farm in 2021.

The two of them documented their new rural adventure in the BBC series Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure.

Kelvin tied the knot with fellow actor Elizabeth Marsland back in 2015 in a secret ceremony after knowing her since he was eight-years-old.

The pair have children, Marnie, aged five, and a son Milo, three as well as twin boys born in 2022.