Latest news with #MountviewAcademyofTheatreArts
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Drag Race UK star on incredible weight loss and poignant The Vivienne message
Kitty Scott-Claus, who appeared in the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, has lost eight pounds after making some radical lifestyle changes Pride month is in full swing, and drag queens, the so-called 'ambassadors' of the LGBTQIA+ community, are already busy entertaining crowds. In fact, today, I'm sitting with Kitty Scott-Claus who has just spent the weekend 'shouting in a mic' at Mighty Hoopla. 'I love to be the loudest person in the room,' Kitty jokes. She adds: "It's so annoying, I hate myself.' Being an entertainer is just one of the many hats Kitty wears. She was a finalist on 2022's Celebrity MasterChef and is now gearing up for a return to the West End this summer with her upcoming role in The Diana Mixtape, embodying once again Lady Di, a character with which she won the notably difficult 'snatch game' challenge on RuPaul's Drag Race. With her honest humour and infectious charisma, it didn't take long for Kitty to earn her place as one of the UK's most beloved Drag Queens. But her journey started from 'real humble beginnings', she reveals. Kitty says: 'I feel like, especially this year, this pride month, I feel so reflective of my journey, and how far I've come, and thinking 'oh my god' from where I started. 'I started doing drag at a bar in Camden and we were playing to like three people.' Kitty has since put her Bachelor's Degree from the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, in musical theater to good use. Keeping herself booked and busy, the media personality has not tired yet from the wigs and make up. 'Drag gives you the opportunity to be beautiful on the days where you don't necessarily feel beautiful,' she reveals. She further shares: 'Drag for me, I feel like I'm Barbie and I feel like it doesn't matter what the situation is, I just put on the outfit, and then I become that thing. So when I was in Masterchef, I put on my Masterchef's outfit, I feel like it's a good analogy for life.' And while many drag artists keep their art completely separate from their real lives, Kitty embodies her real personality in and out of her work attire. 'I don't really have a drag persona, I'm the same in drag or out of drag, it doesn't matter if I've got a wig on or not, I'm always going to be an attention seeker,' she says. Nevertheless, Kitty also enjoys being able to enter public spaces as herself, or rather, himself - Louie Westwood, even though 'the gays know'. She explains: 'It's fabulous, because you get to do that double life thing. 'In the words of Hannah Montana, you get the best of both worlds.' While being confident and admitting to always being happy with their appearance, Kitty also acknowledges the pressure of being scrutinised by TV views. But that wasn't the motivation for Kitty to lose an impressive eight stone. She recalls: 'I was so happy with the size I was and I never thought, because I'd grown up being a bigger individual, I'd grown up being plus size, I never thought in a million years I could be the size I am now, that just never crossed my mind. 'I'd grown up being bigger, I just didn't think that it was possible.' Upon starting working out with a personal trainer suggested by her Drag Race castmate, Ella Vaday, Kitty got a taste for a healthier lifestyle. Kitty further shared her weight loss journey, revealing how she achieved her transformation: 'The biggest thing for me was finding an exercise routine that works for you and that you enjoy. I think if you enjoy it, you don't feel like 'all right, I've got go and work out now'.' The drag artist admitted that going to the gym has become her 'zen time', a place where she can be by herself and listen to her music. In addition to the gym, Kitty also goes swimming. 'I really love swimming and that's completely disconnected from everything, I don't have a phone, I don't have music with me, I don't have any distractions,' Kitty says. 'It's me and the pool.' Diet and making radical changes to her lifestyle have also contributed to Kitty's transformation. She further debunked rumours accusing her of relying on diabetes medications that have been made popular by celebrities in recent years. 'A lot of it is diet, and I feel like especially losing weight in 2025, the world is so hot on Ozempic and Mounjaro, and everyone is so quick to say you've just done Ozempic, you're in the public eye, you have a blue tick, this is how you've done it,' Kitty admits. 'And it's like no, I'm in the gym every single day, and I love it, and I've changed my diet, I don't drink anymore, I'm sober.' She adds: 'Completely 180 of what my life was and I'm eight stone down and I've never been happier. I've never felt more confident.' Running is another activity Kitty 'absolutely loves' doing. In fact, she loved it so much, she ran this year's London Marathon, dedicating the 26.2 mile race to the late The Vivienne. 'Vive has left such a lasting legacy and it's such a powerful message that she's left behind, and it's going to inspire queens from now for generations to come,' Kitty says. 'She's so missed by everyone and I love her.' James Lee Williams, known professionally as The Vivienne, was the winner of the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. She tragically passed in January at the age of 32 from a cardiac arrest. Despite the joy and colour brought by a month promising rainbows and acceptance, the versatile drag artist acknowledges more unfortunate events that have impacted the community this year. This includes the UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of "woman" under the Equality Act 2010 is based on biological sex, excluding transgender women. 'It just reiterates how important it is to have pride and to have pride month,' Kitty reacts. 'And I mean, I'm coming to this speaking as a cisgender man about the legislation rules about trans and what is a woman. 'I think it's ridiculous and it's so stupid, like, mind your own business let live, let people live their truth, protect the dolls, that's what the most important thing is.' Kitty competed on the third series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, in addition to competing on RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars. She is now set to set to star in the world premiere of The Diana Mixtape from 28 th July at HERE at Outernet alongside an equally star-studded cast.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Lauren Drew: 'Playing Celine Dion on stage is a lot of pressure'
When Lauren Drew was offered the role of Celine Dion in Titanique in London's West End, she did not have to think the Port Talbot-born musical star, a lifelong fan of the "queen of power ballads", it was a dream come described the Olivier Award-winning show as a parody of the 1997 film Titanic, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate said the role comes with "a lot of pressure," as she must deliver Dion's powerhouse vocals on the hit My Heart Will Go On. Drew began performing at a young age as a champion freestyle disco dancer, but it was during school that she discovered her passion for singing and trained at Neath Port Talbot College before earning a full scholarship to Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in up in a working-class family with limited means, Drew said she worked tirelessly to fund her dreams, taking on various jobs from the age of said her family "kind of sacrificed everything for me, so I do this for them".Now 32, she said she believed there was something special about her hometown, which has produced stars like Sir Anthony Hopkins, Michael Sheen, and Richard Burton."I think the town naturally breeds very hardworking people," she added. Following acclaimed performances in Six the Musical and Legally Blonde, Drew has reached new heights of recognition in Titanique, with celebrity fans including Alan Carr and Amanda said audiences should expect a wildly different experience from the film it by Tye Blue, part of the team behind RuPaul's Drag Race, Drew said the show is "wacky, wonderful, and crazy" and "a real ride"."I need you to imagine a Titanic Museum, and Celine Dion crashes and she says, 'Oh, no, no, no'. This is not actually what what went down. I'll tell you what went down because I was there and this story is a fever dream," she added. The show also features Bad Education star Layton Williams, as the for Drew, a grounded performer playing an over-the-top diva, she said it was all about giving the audience a joyful added: "I feel like the world needs it right now. "You know, it's just kind of unapologetic, crazy joy. "And everybody, every single show, they're on their feet, every single time, without fail, it's just, it's so much fun," Drew said. In 2022, Celine Dion, widely known as the "queen of power ballads", revealed her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that causes severe muscle spasms. It affected her ability to sing and perform and led to her cancelling tour returned to live performance for the first time since revealing the condition at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, where she sung on the Eiffel her health struggles are not mentioned in Titanique, which takes a more playful, spoof-like approach to her legacy. Although Lauren Drew's portrayal of the 200-million-record-selling Canadian star is an exaggerated version, audience expectations remain said: "There is such pressure, because people love her so much, she's such a kooky person, but first and foremost, I know that people want the vocals, so I am living like a nun at the moment."Determined to "make sure people get what they expect" from someone playing Celine Dion, Drew has been "guzzling down litres of water" and studying countless videos to capture the star's signature said: "I was such a massive fan of her anyway, and I've been told over the years that I remind people of her, so it wasn't too far a stretch."I kind of have that bonkers energy quite naturally anyway."But I've watched a lot of videos, things that she does when she's on stage, the flick of her hand and the pound of her chest, and she's very dynamic, in everything that she does, and everything is very deliberate," Drew hard work paid off for her as she was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a said she hopes her success will show people "not to limit themselves because they came from nothing". You can listen to full interview on BBC Sounds
