The Vivienne's drug addiction battle, real name and divorce from husband
The Vivienne has gone from strength to strength since debuting on RuPaul's Drag Race.
The iconic Scouse drag queen, 31, was appointed as the first UK ambassador for the American reality competition and went on to win the 2019 series. Since then, the talented star has been involved in several telly projects, including a guest appearance in ITV soap Emmerdale.
The Vivienne has worked to break barriers by appearing regularly on screen and became the first drag queen to star in Dancing on Ice, coming in third place. And this afternoon, the star joins other queens to take part in Ross Kemps' gameshow, Celebrity Bridge of Lies.
What is The Vivienne's real name?
Fans of the breakout star of RuPaul's Drag Race UK have been left wondering what The Vivienne's real name is. Well, when not on stage, the iconic star goes by the name of James Williams. The talented performer was born in Colwyn Bay, Wales but now calls Liverpool home.
So how did the name Vivienne come about? In an interview, The Vivienne revealed the inspiration was the late fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. But just any old drag name wouldn't do, the TV star wanted something unique and memorable. And thus, The Vivienne was born.
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The Vivenne goes by the name James Williams when not in drag (Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
The Vivienne was inspired by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood (BBC / World of Wonde / Guy Levy)"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, sl***y drag names so I thought of 'The Vivienne' and here she is, there’s only one of them," the fan favourite explained.
Drug addiction
As a club worker in Liverpool's nightlife scene, The Vivienne once came close to death after getting hooked on drugs years before finding fame. A dark ketamine addiction led to three hospitalisations in a month, and doctors feared the star might die. According to Vivienne, in the depths of the addiction, ketamine served as 'breakfast, lunch, and dinner'.
In an effort to quit drugs, The Vivienne sought help from an NHS centre in Liverpool before moving to Gran Canaria. Speaking to The Mirror, the performer said: “Some guys I knew from Gran Canaria... asked me to do a gig in Pride. I did it, I was there for a week and I felt like myself and I hadn’t touched anything for a week.”
The Vivienne came close to death after getting hooked on drugs (BBC / Leigh Keily)
The star sought help from a NHS centre in Liverpool before moving to Gran Canaria to help her addiction (PA)Amicable divorce
The Vivienne previously confirmed a sad divorce from her husband David Ludford. The couple, who tied the knot less than three years ago at London's Heaven club, had been together for five years.
The star took to Instagram in April this year to share the news with fans, writing: "As many may have noticed, David and I have been apart recently. We have made the decision to part ways after an amazing 5 and a half years. We are still very much friends, but sometimes life gets in the way and people grow apart. We wish each the absolute best and will always be part of each other's lives. We'd ask that you please respect our privacy at this time. Thank you. James and David."
The Vivienne and husband David Ludford split in April (ITV)David, who runs a company selling wigs for drag queens called Drag Helmet Wigs, has been a constant support for The Vivienne throughout the star's busy drag career. London’s Heaven club recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and was granted permission to host weddings. The first couple to tie the knot at the iconic venue were The Vivienne and David Ludford. The venue was transformed with trees and floral decorations, making for a stunningly decorated wedding hall for the day.
The couple's split had come as a shock to fans and friends alike, who flooded social media with messages of support for the Drag Race star. Currently, it's not known whether James is back in another relationship since the breakup.
In recent times, the star has tragically opened up about the prevalence of homophobia in 2023 after falling victim to an attack in a McDonald's restaurant. This month, builder Alan Whitfield, 51, was found guilty of assault motivated by homophobia and is due to be sentenced in the New Year.
Appearing from behind a screen, the star told the court: "I moved away from home at 16 and have always been so confident and never let my surroundings dictate what I do with my life. The Saturday or Sunday after the attack I was at Chester train station travelling on my own, and I wasn't aware it was Chester races and there were a lot of people around getting lairy.
"It was the first time in my life I've ever shied away from any situation. I found myself hiding at the end of the platform away from the public because I was dealing with you know, what if this happens again? I think that was the moment where it really sunk in how much this had affected me. As a 31-year-old man that's quite difficult to come to terms with."
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