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GMB: Dancing on Ice to pay tribute to The Vivienne
Drag Race star The Vivienne will be remembered for being an icon for the LGBTQ+ community. The 32 year old died on Sunday, but prior to their passing they spent plenty of time in the limelight and raising awareness about representaton on TV.
The star, whose real name is James Lee Williams, shot to fame after winning the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. They also went to star on several shows including Dancing on Ice and Emmerdale.
During their time in the spotlight, The Vivienne suffered a horrible 'homophobic' attack in Liverpool in 2023 at a McDonald's branch.
Taking to X to share the ordeal, they wrote: "Just been attacked in McDonald’s, Police on way. Homophobia alive and well folks! First time I’ve never retaliated in a fight because I’m not gonna punch somebody in front of kids and women. #pieceofs**t."
They later provided an update to their followers, saying: "Thank you all for you concern, the police have been great and I believe the culprit has been been found."
The Vivienne was an LGBTQ icon (Image: Getty)
"Two lovely ladies just came and complimented my hair and said I look lovely, what a stark contrast of people we have on this planet! All in a day huh? A punch and a compliment.
"Huge thank you to the fantastic staff at @McDonaldsUK Edge Lane who acted fast and removed the idiot from the premises and did everything in their power to make sure I was ok and waited for police with me."
Following the attack, The Vivienne said in court that they were subjected to a "barrage of abuse" before being struck in the face.
He said: "As a proud gay man, I have never hidden who I am or edited myself.
"It shames me to say at the age of 31, I am now a lot more conscious that I could be attacked at any moment simply for living my life. This has caused me stress, anguish and ongoing trauma."
The Vivienne has sadly died at the age of 32 (Image: Getty)
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In the wake of The Vivienne's tragic passing, RuPaul's DragCon has announced a heartfelt tribute to honour the late drag queen.
RuPaul's DragCon revealed on their Instagram page that they will be setting up a memorial booth at their upcoming event on January 10 and 11 at ExCeL London.
They urged attendees to respect each other's grief, writing: "As we all move through this weekend together, we know that many of us will want to celebrate The Vivienne by sharing condolences with those close to her. Please be mindful that we all process and experience grief differently and some people might not be ready yet to talk about the loss of someone important to them."
The statement released said: "We're providing a memorial booth space on the pink carpet where all the attendees of DragCon can go to pay tribute to The Vivienne, share condolences, and speak about it if they're ready. We also have Switchboard LGBTQ+ helpline with us for the third year in a row, and if you need someone to talk with, they are there to listen. Please visit them at booth D26 if you need", reports the Mirror.
English (US) ·