Adam Guerra has had 18 cosmetic procedures to transform himself into the queen of pop, but while this has left him unlucky in love he's gone on to forge a successful career as a drag queen and impersonator
POUTING in the mirror, Adam Guerra slips into a pink leotard before putting on his blonde wig - it's the final step to transform him into his idol Madonna.
But unlike others who dress up as celebs for kicks, Adam has gone one step further - over the course of 14 years he has spent £150,000 on a staggering 18 cosmetic surgeries, including cheek, bum and jaw implants, a nose job and fillers - in a bid to look just like her.
Adam, who is 33 and lives in LA, California, is now one of the top Madonna impersonators in the US, and even appeared on the third series of hit show Ru Paul's Drag Race.
The Madge super-fan, who performs all her hits under the drag name 'Venus De-Lite', admits he has spent "practically my whole life, my whole wallet, all the money that’s been given to me" to look like his idol Madonna, who turns 60 today.
“I’ve had my cheeks implanted and my jaw done several times, I’ve had my chin done and I’ve had brow lifts and fillers," Adam says.
“But it is so worth it because goddamn I look like Madonna.”
Adam, who is of Italian descent just like the Hung Up singer, came from humble beginnings.
His profile on a Ru Paul's Drag Race fan page says that he was 'poor' when he started doing drag - but his life is very different now.
The Madonna wannabe has 13,000 Instagram followers and performs in swanky clubs in Hollywood and Palm Springs.
He now makes thousands of pounds a year as a performer - much of which he puts towards buying replica outfits from iconic Madonna moments.
These include her 1980's fishnets and mini skirts to her demure outfits from hit film Evita, and of course the famous cone bra from the Blonde Ambition tour.
Adam wasn't always confident, however, and as a teen he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality.
He credits his idol with helping him through the difficult times, saying he became obsessed with her at the age of 15.
“I’d found one of her albums that my mom owned and I played it non-stop," recalls Adam.
“I became obsessed with everything she was doing and I really felt like she was speaking directly to me.
“Everything that I was feeling inside was what she was singing and everything I wanted to be was what she was.”
When he was 19 he dressed up as Madonna for the first time to perform Vogue at a club near his home - and his drag act spiralled from there.
However, Adam's mum Annette Guerra, who inadvertently introduced him to Madonna, now regrets ever purchasing that Madge CD.
“When he first became obsessed with her I was in denial - I didn’t want to believe it," she says.
“I really dislike her because he holds in her high esteem – it’s like a religion to him.
“I’m always worried about him when he has a procedure done.
When he first started doing it he was going to some pretty shady places where I didn’t think they were capable or qualified to do what they were doing.”
Adam also had to justify his love of Madge to his ex-boyfriend of 11 years, Michael.
The pair appeared on reality show My Strange Addiction in 2014, and the programme showed friction between the couple.
"I want to date a boy. I don't want to date a 56-year-old woman," his partner frankly admitted at the time.
“My ex boyfriend was like my mum – he didn’t want me to do it but he knew it was a losing battle," says Adam.
“They both wished I would spend my money on other things like savings or a nice car - but to me money comes and goes, possessions come and go, jobs come and go but you’ve only got one life to live.”
Adam has no plans to tone down his obsession with Madonna, telling a US paper: "why would I give this up? All you can do is please yourself, and this makes me happy.
"And when I take off all the makeup, I see this handsome, gorgeous, good-looking guy."
After starting off earning just six pounds a show Adam has gone on to perform over 1,000 times as the Like a Virgin singer.
He also has dreams of pop stardom, releasing a single in the US called "I'm Not Madonna".
However, he's still not met the star, despite getting into her concerts for free, telling a Texan newspaper that he wasn't "ready yet".
"I know she knows about me. I think there's a part of me that's scared. What if she's not what I think she is?" says Adam.
"I admire Madonna too much. If the universe reverses it around and she wants to meet me, of course, I'm going to take the opportunity."
But for now, he will continue performing as the blonde bombshell, he added: “It’s an amazing feeling, it’s a huge rush and I get nervous because I want to look like her and sound like her.
“Whether I’m on for 30 minutes or three hours I just have to give it my all. I put a lot of pressure on myself so it can be really nerve wracking.”
But despite the reservations of his family and friends Adam is proud of his choice to become Madonna, saying: “she’s such a powerful character, she’s such an iconic character and she’s a bitch, she’s a queen and just the image of perfection.
“No one understands my love for Madonna, I don’t even know if she would understand it.
“I want to die and say hey I did this and no-one else did it. I did it and I enjoyed every minute.”