Former Okotoks resident Grant Taggart is sharing the message "you can do it!"

Taggart was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at the age of three and hasn't let it hold him back as he's gone on to walk the runway during Toronto Fashion Week.

He moved to Toronto a year ago with influence from his sister Loryn who introduced him to his agent and he decided modelling would be a good path to take to lead into acting.

Taggart was enrolled in the Alberta High School of Fine Arts drama program at Foothills Composite High School where he graduated from in 2014. He's also had roles in past Dewdney Players productions of Present Laughter, Black Comedy, Robin Hood, and Love Letters.

He says he's hasn't let Tourette's hold him back from pursuing his dreams.

"I've always said no I don't see it stopping me and I think I can do it, so now here I am doing Toronto Fashion Week and I've even met a model who also has Tourette's syndrome," he says. "If I can really throw a message to anybody it's that you can do it, it doesn't matter how many times or how many people tell you you can't, there's living proof anywhere you look that you can do it."

Tourette's syndrome is a neurological disorder that impacts the brain and nervous system and can cause involuntary movements and vocalizations, also known as tics.

Taggart says despite his current path with modelling, acting will always have his heart.

"Acting will never go away, it's always going to be the end point of my life," he says. "It's been there since I was four years old, it's always going to be the goal I reach for but it isn't right now, I'm actually doing a lot of stuff with modelling and I'm hoping to take that to the next level so I'm kind of just focusing on that right now and seeing where that goes and then maybe I can ease my way into acting at a later time."

Next Taggart says he's hoping to go international with his modelling and has his sights set on New York or Tokyo.

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