Viva DIVA Vanessa!

DRAG personality and HIV advocate Vanessa Wagner (aka Tobin Saunders) has been announced as the 2012 inductee in the DIVA Hall of Fame.

DIVA is the Drag Industry Variety Awards and honours the best of the drag industry across the country.

The ceremony, which is bound to be filled with high wigs and tons of make up, will be held at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, on Monday October 29.

Vanessa Wagner was crowned Sydney Mardi Gras Miss Fair Day in 1993.

For seven years she coordinated and hosted the spectacularly successful Drag Race Meet at Bondi Beach for the Sydney Fringe Festival.

From early 1993 till 1996 Vanessa captivated audiences with Jamie and Vanessa parties and stage shows.

Her sell out hit dance show, Vanessa Wagner's History of Dance broke box office records as part of the Mardi Gras Festival in 1999.

She co-hosted the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade telecasts on Channel Ten for five years. She also had a regular appearance as talk back host, on national youth radio station Triple J.

She was the most colourful entrant in Celebrity Big Brother, has made Australia laugh in a Snickers TV commercial and keeps Australia laughing with regular TV appearances.

Vanessa's alter ego Tobin Saunders is now living in Ballina and works as a community health promotion officer.

Mr Saunders will be unable to frock up to receive the award in Sydney, but was very happy to have received such recognition.