Anyone who has tried hard at something felt represented in Cheryl Hole during her first time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
Despite making it to the competition’s top four with hilarious confessionals and good performances, the 28-year-old didn’t manage to win any main challenges nor earn a coveted Ru Peter badge. Her humour, gorgeousness and passion for girl groups nonetheless made her an immediate fan favourite, which led to collaborations with Netflix and a podcast after the show.
Now the Essex queen will join her series one sisters Baga Chipz and Blu Hydrangea in Drag Race UK vs The World, a new series which sees UK queens compete against familiar faces from the show’s global competitions. As we sat down on Zoom to talk about her journey in this new competition, she oozes light and confidence to the extent that we feel she might be finally ready to win that race.
"I was so ready to get to battle and show the growth and evolution of Cheryl," she says. Contrary to the international queens of the cast, Cheryl has the privilege of knowing everything about her surroundings, from the UK werkroom to the runway. "It's like going into your Nan's house, you know the cups are in this cupboard, the spoons are in there, so you just get down to business and make a good cuppa."
Getting another chance at Drag Race is a godsend according to Cheryl, who says surviving the pandemic was extremely hard as a full-time drag queen. The spotlight that the show could put on her work may mean new worldwide opportunities. "I worked hard and I hustled this entire time from my living room to do shows. The hard work pays off when you're able to put everything back into your art." Which she did, by investing in new costumes for the show. "In season one the thing that let me down the most was my runways. Not only from a financial investment but also from a literal perspective. I received the list and the briefs and I took everything very literally instead of creating layers to my drag. This time around I was ready to invest everything back into my runways and show how my drag has evolved so much."
Fans are warned, Cheryl will never repeat that she is “ready for another week of doing mediocre again” this season. The queen is obviously ready for much more, including shining in a new girl group challenge. Her passion for Spice Girls, Girls Aloud and Little Mix, among others, took centre stage during her season when she got to meet her guest judges Geri Halliwell, Jade Thirlwall and the real Cheryl, whom she named herself after.
"We all saw my break down week after week in season one when it was girl group member after girl group member," she jokes. "Seeing Jade back again and getting to meet Mel C [in the new series] was truly an experience because you know me, I love my girl groups and that's never gonna change. The drag may evolve but the passion for girl groups will always remain."
The dynamic in the werkroom felt different from her season, Cheryl notes, as the queens learned about what it's like to be LGBTQ+ in Thailand, Holland or Canada. "Laws, restrictions, or just how you walk down the street are so different from our experience in the UK. It was so amazing to hear stories of how the drag scene is for Pangina Heals in Thailand and in Holland for Janey Jacké and how tough it has been for the queens in Canada during the lockdown. I'm so excited for these stories to be shared with the world finally."
Since the end of season one back in 2019, the Essex queen has travelled all over the country to perform and meet her fans, including during the first edition of DragCon UK. It's there that she met with a 13-year-old admirer and his mother who shared a very special moment with Cheryl that to this day reminds her why she does drag.
"She whispered into my ear: 'Thank you so much for everything, you've inspired my son to be the true authentic person he is. He looks up to you, we are from Essex. And seeing you live your own life and just be so happy and so free has made him open up to me and everybody around him and I'm finally seeing the joy in my son's eyes.'"
As Mama Ru says it herself, Drag Race is so much more than just telly. Cheryl adds: "As much as fantastic it is to get to do these huge production shows, I always remember that we are really bringing joy to people's lives and I don't do it for the money, I do it to make sure that people have escapism and joy in their life despite the crazy world we live in."
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Versus The World starts at 9pm tonight on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer. New episodes every Tuesday
