Meet The Vivienne: Dancing on Ice 2023 contestant and Drag Race UK winner
The Vivienne is swapping the Werk Room for the ice rink.
As the latest season of Dancing on Ice continues on ITV, one of the contenders who has impressed the judges thus far is The Vivienne, who is known for having previously won RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
The Vivienne is just one of the 11 initial contestants in this year's Dancing on Ice 2023 line-up, and started her Dancing on Ice journey by scoring 28.5 points for her performance to Strong Enough by Cher.
Most recently she and her professional partner Colin Grafton skated to Halo by Beyoncé, coming third with a score of 33.5, but will The Vivienne be able to climb up the leaderboard this weekend?
Read on for everything you need to know about her.
Who is The Vivienne?
Age: 30
Job: Drag queen
Instagram: @thevivienne_
Twitter: @THEVIVIENNE
Paired with: Colin Grafton
The Vivienne grew up in North Wales and began her drag career in the clubs of Liverpool, choosing her drag name because of her love of Vivienne Westwood clothes.
She was announced as the UK ambassador for RuPaul’s Drag Race back in 2015, several years before the competition made its way across the Atlantic. Then, when the show eventually launched on BBC Three in 2019, she was named as part of the line-up.
She was a runaway success in the Snatch Game with her uncanny (and hilarious) impersonation of then-president Donald Trump, and went on to be crowned the very first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, beating Divina de Campo and Baga Chipz.
Alongside Baga, she went on to present Morning T&T on WOW Presents Plus, the streaming service for Drag Race broadcasters World of Wonder. The show saw the pair reprise their Snatch Game impressions of Trump and Margaret Thatcher.
In 2022, she joined the line-up for the seventh edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, which saw former winners return in an attempt to earn the title of Queen of All Queens.
The Vivienne has also made cameo appearances in shows including Emmerdale and medical drama This Is Going To Hurt (where she played a drag queen working on the door of a nightclub) and also cropped up in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie back in 2016.
What has The Vivienne said about joining Dancing on Ice 2023?
When she was announced as part of the line-up last year, The Vivienne said that taking part in the competition was “honestly a dream come true”.
"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."
Since then, The Vivienne and skating partner Colin have shared plenty of snaps and videos on social media, showing them rehearsing on the ice - and it seems that the star is pretty proud of their progress so far.
“Months of hard work and commitment have all come down to this!” she wrote on social media ahead of her debut. “One of my proudest achievements and can’t wait for you to see what Colin Grafton and I have been working on for you!”
Dancing on Ice 2023 airs on ITV1 and ITVX at 6:30pm on Sundays. To find out what’s on telly tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide, or visit our dedicated Entertainment hub.
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