RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: Blu Hydrangea Defends Cheryl Hole Amid Fan Backlash

How did your Drag Race experiences compare to what you had expected as a long-time fan of the show?

It was kind of what I’d expected, because the girls say “expect the worst” and “expect to be put through the ringer”, and I prepared for that, and it’s kind of true! At the time, it was the most horrific, scary experience that I’ve ever been put through. It’s almost like a Saw trap, if you’ve seen the Saw movies, like, “what Saw trap are they going to put me in today, that I have to get out of?”. But in retrospect, it was one of the best experiences of my life and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Watching the show back, is there anything or anyone that has surprised you with how they’ve come across?

Cheryl. Because I had told everyone, Cheryl is a sweetheart, she’s so amazing and she’s going to be the most loveable person on the season, she’s going to be a fan-favourite. And reactions have been slightly different to what I expected. Not for me – I’m watching her and enjoying her and laughing every time she says something, but I know a lot of the fans have found her a bit hard to watch, which is sad because I know how talented and amazing she is. She’s getting a bad rap, I think. 

How is Cheryl finding that?

I know it’s been hard for her, but she’s a strong person, and she got to make it up last night, show her talents and her abilities. I hope things turn around for her – not in terms of her experiences, because she doesn’t need one, she’s done amazingly but a turnaround in terms of the audience reaction to her.  

New episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK are available to stream every Thursday at 8pm on BBC Three.