THE VIVIENNE: THE FIRST DRAG QUEEN ON ICE
Drag Queens are everywhere, even on ice! And, THE Vivienne is a Favourite to win!
Since winning the first-ever season of UK Drag Race back in 2019, The Vivienne’s career has gone from strength to strength. For the past 3 years, the 30-year-old has been plastered on UK mainstream TV, appearing on shows such as Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Celebrity Hunted, Celebrity Mastermind and even The Weakest Link. But now, The Vivienne can tick another one off the list, as the fabulous drag superstar is one of the favourites to win this year’s Dancing On Ice.
6 weeks into Dancing On Ice, and The Vivienne has taken to it like a duck to water…or ice. The general public loves The Vivienne’s camp creativity, as she transforms herself into a different character each week. Whether it’s Dolly Parton or The Sound of Music, The Vivienne loves a theme, and it seems the audience loves it too. Each week, The Vivienne scales high on the leaderboard and scores a roaring applause from the studio audience. It’s lovely to see a Drag Queen being adored by mainstream society.
However, it hasn’t all been sunshine and roses, as The Vivienne has also received a backlash from a hateful minority on social media. The vicious attacks largely came from The Vivienne’s decision to perform out of drag, as James, in a same-sex partnership. The fact that The Vivienne’s main wave of abuse came once de-dragged shows a lot about society, as bigots are more likely to accept James in Drag because he resembles a female. But the keyboard warriors didn’t dim The Vivienne’s bright light, as she sailed through to the next week’s show with the public vote.
The Vivienne isn’t only a celebrity in the UK you know? Last year, in 2023, The Vivienne was invited to represent the UK in the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars: The American version of the show that saw previous winners compete to become the ultimate drag champion of champions. Although The Vivienne didn’t win, it was an incredible opportunity for her to showcase her witty British drag to an international audience. During the 12 episodes, The Vivienne was a clear front runner and even delivered an iconic lip sync impersonating Dolly Parton.
Drag is an important part of the British entertainment industry. For decades, Drag has been on our TV screens and enjoyed by millions up and down the country. The Vivienne joins the likes of Lily Savage and Dame Edna in the British Drag Halls of fame. In just three years, The Vivienne has accomplished a lot. Her charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent will no doubt keep her on our screens for a while longer yet.
