News of The Vivienne's death stunned the world of showbiz at the weekend. The Ru Paul's Drag Race UK star was confirmed to have died suddenly at the age of 32.
Now, their harrowing previous comments have resurfaced in which they revealed they said they were told they would be "dead by 30" if they hadn't stopped their drug use. The Vivienne's cause of death is not yet known and there is no suggestion that they relapsed. Police issued a statement saying they had investigated the tragedy and found "no suspicious circumstances".
The star, whose real name was James Lee Williams, became the first drag queen to compete in Dancing On Ice and came third in the 2023 series. They also had their own BBC series, The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood, and cameoed on ITV soap Emmerdale. The Vivienne is survived by their loved ones, including heartbroken ex, David Ludford.
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Getty Images)And it's their ex who they credit with helping them beat their drug addiction. They had ended up in in hospital three times in one month after becoming hooked on the Class B drug, ketamine.
The Vivienne previously told The Gay Times how they nearly didn’t follow their career path. "When people say, ‘You’ve got to hit rock bottom to get further,’ it sounds so stupid but it’s the truth," they said. "I had to be kicked out of my house and told that I would be dead by the time I was 30.
"It was the loneliest part of my life, I was killing myself and my family don’t even know. I was p**sing my life up the wall and I could’ve been dead now if I didn’t do anything about it.”
They also previously opened up about their addiction to ketamine to The Mirror, saying it was their "breakfast, lunch and dinner". "I could have three bags of it just putting my face on. I did it on and off for four years. I was getting evicted from apartments, I had no money. It was party drugs - but I couldn't leave the drugs at the party. I'd been in hospital three times in a month, so I knew I needed help."
They were able to kick the habit in 2017 after claiming it was "do or die". It was their decision to go "cold turkey" and head to Gran Canaria which led to James meeting David, who he credits with helping him stay off drugs. The pair became the first couple to tie the knot at London's famous gay club, Heaven, in December 2019.
In a touching tribute following their death, David said James made him "feel love" and showed him "what it was really like to love someone". He added: "You will always have a place in my heart. Going to miss you more than people will ever know. Sleep tight angel."
*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
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