A FORMER convent schoolgirl from Abingdon is returning to Oxfordshire to perform steamy stripteases on stage.

Ex-Our Lady’s pupil Hannah McCarthy, 29, now calls herself Miss Fan-Teasy and teaches raunchy burlesque routines to women of all ages.

Her showgirl academy is bringing a show to Oxford for the first time, staging its unique take on the Rocky Horror Picture Story at The Glee Club, Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford, at 7.30pm on November 28.

Miss McCarthy, who grew up in Abingdon, Radley and Sunningwell, said: “It is very exciting as there is not really anywhere to go for burlesque in Oxford. I’ve got lots of friends and family here, and not many have had the opportunity to see me perform.

“If anything, having people I know in the audience relaxes me, as it is nice to have familiar faces enjoying the show.”

She added: “Our take on Rocky Horror will have all of the story line, but with an added burlesque element of striptease.”

The cast is made up of some of the 100 students, aged 18 to 60, she has taught at the Bournemouth-based Fantasy Showgirl Academy over the past three years.

A trained dancer, Miss McCarthy took up burlesque after watching a documentary about the comic shows.

She said: “You can just be whatever you want to be in your own fantasy world.

“It has incredible glamour, but with highly exaggerated costumes and hair.

“Students mostly come to build up their confidence. When they arrive they are too scared to perform in a show.

“By the time they finish the course, they are completely different people.”

Miss McCarthy, who said 70 per cent of her regular punters were women, hoped even the nuns who ran her former school would approve.

She said: “I actually think they would be quite proud.

“I used to be the first one up on stage at school, so I do not think they would be that surprised.” She added: “Women come for the drama of it.

“They can appreciate how difficult it is to have the confidence to perform.”

l Burlesque dates back hundreds of years, originating as a comic form of musical theatre parodying existing plays and operas.

But, in the 19th century, female performers’ costumes became steadily skimpier to keep the audience’s attention, and in 20th-century America the striptease became the main draw.

Unlike strippers, burlesque dancers always emphasise the ‘tease’ rather than the ‘strip’.

Tickets for the show, which features both male and female performers, are priced £12. They are available from The Glee Club box office and on the website: www.glee.co.uk