Dancing On Ice star The Vivienne in and out of drag
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The Vivienne joins Dancing On Ice 2023 with partner Colin Grafton

The Drag Race winner is taking to the ice!

Dancing On Ice welcomes The Vivienne to the ice for the 2023 series.

The 30-year-old drag favourite and partner pro Colin Grafton will perform for the first time in week two.

But what do we know about the fabulous queen?

Read on and we’ll tell you!

The Vivienne and Colin Grafton are paired up on Dancing On Ice 2023 (Credit: ITV)

What is Dancing On Ice star The Vivienne’s real name? What does The Vivienne mean?

The Vivienne’s real name is James Lee Williams. She became popular RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she became the first-ever winner in 2019.

For the show, she discussed the reason behind the name.

The star explained: “I love Vivienne Westwood, and when I moved to Liverpool everyone used to call me Vivienne, as I was head-to-toe in Westwood, so when I started doing drag it was a natural progression.

“But I didn’t want one of those cheap, nasty, slutty drag names so I thought of The Vivienne and here she is, there’s only one of them.”

She’s appeared on the likes of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Celebrity Juice.

The Vivienne moved from Colwyn Bay in North Wales to Liverpool, where she began to DJ in gay bars in the city’s Pride Quarter.

Spiralling into addiction

However, partying took its toll, and The Vivienne opened up to the Gay Times about her four-year drug addiction.

“It was party, drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party. It was constant for me.

“When people say: ‘You’ve got to hit rock bottom to get further,’ it sounds so stupid but it’s the truth. 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.”

She moved to Spain to overcome her demons, met partner David and now wants to use her platform to help others in that situation.

The Vivienne told North Wales Live: “Addiction can be a lonely, lonely place but the best thing to do is share it. It will get better.”

The Vivienne on Drag Race
The Vivienne would consider I’m A Celeb (Credit: BBC)

Would The Vivienne go on I’m A Celebrity?

As her profile rises, The Vivienne has considered all options when it comes to TV appearances. And Lorraine Kelly wanted to know if we would ever be seeing her on I’m A Celebrity.

And it turns out, the Australian bush isn’t off limits!

In a recent interview with the Scottish TV host, The Vivienne said: “Do you know what, I’ve never thought about it but what an absolutely amazing opportunity that would be!”

And doubling down on her openness to the jungle, she said: “Get me to that jungle, what a great life opportunity. I am all for that!”

Lorraine joked that she would speak to ITV bosses to make the dream reality, adding: “I’m going to make a call!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by THE VIVIENNE (@thevivienne_)

Does The Vivienne have a husband? Is she married?

The Vivienne married long-term partner David Ludford in 2019.

Their spectacular wedding was the first to take place at iconic gay superclub Heaven in London.

It was transformed for the special event, with trees and floral arrangements.

And they even had a special performance from Cher impersonator and Drag Race US runner-up Chad Michaels. Performances from Lady Gaga and Beyoncé tributes took the party into the night.

The Vivienne described the day on social media as a “dream come true”, saying it was the best day of her life.

Meanwhile, Heaven owner Jeremy Joseph also shared his thoughts on social media.

He wrote: “I couldn’t be more happy or more proud of @thevivienne_ & @luddy1990 who got married today for Heaven’s first wedding.”

And as if that wasn’t amazing enough, the cake was provided by John Whaite, of Great British Bake Off fame.

He wrote: “I was honoured to be asked to create the wedding cake for @thevivienne_ and her gorgeous hubby David.

“Their whimsical theme was right up my alley, but I couldn’t resist adding some modern spikes and skulls. Now the stressful part is over, so let’s dance the night away.”

The Vivienne on Dancing on Ice

The Vivienne isn’t making life easy for her family by signing up for Dancing On Ice.

While mum Cassie and husband David are apparently both nervous for what will happen, The Vivienne is excited to start.

The Vivienne said: “My mum’s petrified and my husband’s nervous and he’s said: ‘Please don’t break anything!’

“One of my friends Jennifer Ellison did it and I keep seeing that video of her kicking herself. I can’t even touch my toes so there is no risk of me kicking myself in the head!

“Jennifer said we can go skating together. Everyone’s really excited – I’ve got a lot of support from my husband.

“I’m beyond excited to announce that I will be competing in Dancing on Ice in 2023!”

The Vivienne on Ru Paul's Drag Race
The Vivienne won Drag Race in 2019 (Credit: BBC)

How tall is The Vivienne? What is her height?

The Vivienne’s height isn’t something she appears to have disclosed.

But she does hopes her appearance will have an impact on representation while taking part in Dancing On Ice.

She said: “This is honestly a dream come true and I can’t wait to start training on the ice.

“To be the first drag artist to take part in one of the big UK reality competition shows is truly an honour.

“I think it’s a big step forward for queer representation on TV.”

Dancing On Ice is on Sunday, January 22 at 6.30pm. It will be available to watch on ITV 1 and ITVX.

Read more: Dancing On Ice 2023: Complaints, ‘curse’ and celebrity slip-ups as ITV unveils first look

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