Councillor Peter reveals his double life as Penny

The retired teacher, who is 60, surprised friends when he unveiled the subject of his debut novel was a pre-op transsexual woman.

Now Mr Ellis, 60, has revealed that not only is his character Jasmine Frame based on real world experiences, he has been secretly dressing as a woman himself for more than 30 years.

Mr Ellis, who is not a transsexual but a transvestite, had previously kept his female other self a closely guarded secret, known only to his wife, Lou, 66, and close friends.

And today Leominster Mayor Mollie Cooke has said that Peter's announcement will make no difference to his work at the parish council

Mr Ellis said his wife had helped him to come to terms with being a transvestite.

Tired of living a double life, Ellis, who is a Green party councillor in Leominster, on the Shropshire-Herefordshire border, bravely revealed Penny's existence to friends and voters after the release of his debut novel, which he said, convinced him the time was right to come out.

He told them: 'I'm actually a transvestite myself, although I prefer the term dual role. I spend some of my time in my feminine mode as Penny Ellis although not generally in Leominster.

"I suppose I have been conscious of it for quite a long time but it's 13 years since my wife has known.

"She has been very supportive and helped me come to terms with it."

Mr Ellis spent 35 years as a science teacher in Norwich, the Isle of Wight and Newbury before retiring to this region to write fiction.

He was elected to Leominster Town Council where "one or two" of his fellow councillors were aware of his dual life.

And he said the release of the book was the spur he needed to make the brave decision to reveal more details about his private life.

Mr Ellis, who has two step children, said: "With the publication of debut novel Painted Ladies it was time I came out and told the world about Penny.

"I thought it might be useful to make the central character in the book someone who is transsexual and use the novel to present the transition to a place where she wants to be."

Cardiff-born Mr Ellis has written a number of educational books and short stories, but Painted Ladies is his first attempt at crime fiction.

The 290-page thriller, which took Peter 10 years to write, follows pre-op transsexual Jasmine on the trail for a knife-killer.

The book was rejected by publishers so Peter published it himself, using his savings to finance an initial print run of 500 copies.

He is already half way through the second Jasmine Frame book and says that he has enough material to write three or more novels.

He said: "As I was planning it I thought, actually this is a series. Painted Ladies is the first one, introducing the character of Jasmine Frame and looking at her point of view.

"I hope it's a fun book to read and reports so far have suggested it does do that. It's an exciting story and I hope that in the process it explains a bit about what transgenderism means and the difficulties we face."

The councillor's revelation has caused a stir among Peter's colleagues on Leominster town council, but Mayor Molly Cooke, 80, insisted it was a private matter for Mr Ellis.

She said: "I heard we have a trans-something-or-other councillor but only through people talking.

"I don't have the internet to look up these things but there's no big scandal. It's nothing to do with the town council what he does in his private life.

"I think you are what you are – no one gets a choice. We all play the hand we're dealt.

"I think we've gone past the days where these things can be frowned at. I believe in live and let live."

Painted Ladies is available for £8.99 from Amazon and is also on sale at the Leominster Tourist Information Centre.