Plans for life-size The Vivienne statue revealed

Plans to install a life-size statue of drag artist James Lee Williams, better known as The Vivienne, have been unveiled.

Williams, the first winner of Ru Paul's Drag Race UK in 2019, died in January 2025 at the age of 32 after struggling with addiction to ketamine.

House of The Vivienne CIC, which was established by Williams' family, has announced plans to commission the tribute at the entrance to Liverpool's Pride Quarter.

Williams' sister Chanel Williams said: "A permanent statue in the Pride Quarter feels like the right way to make sure nobody forgets that, and to remind anyone who might be struggling that they do not have to do it alone."

She added: "That was what James believed, and it is what we are going to keep saying."

"James gave everything to Liverpool and Liverpool gave everything back to him," added Chanel, who is the director House of The Vivienne CIC.

"This city saw him, accepted him, and helped him become The Vivienne."

The statue will be located at the junction of Victoria Street and Stanley Street.

Williams grew up in North Wales before moving to Liverpool as a teenager, performing regularly in bars and clubs around the Pride Quarter before moving to Gran Canaria, a hotspot for drag performers across Europe.

Williams first rose to national prominence on winning the first series of Drag Race UK, and later went on to become the only British drag queen to appear in the American series.

The character became a household name through appearances in London's West End and in TV shows such as Emmerdale, Dancing on Ice and Saturday Night Takeaway.

John Hyland, who is leading the project, said "The Vivienne was the Pride Quarter, and James had a way of making everyone who walked through any one of those doors feel like they belonged and that didn't stop when the cameras arrived, and their star shot into the sky.

"This statue is Liverpool acknowledging what the LGBTQ+ community already knows.

"But it's also the beginning of something bigger. The Pride Quarter deserves investment, attention, and a future, and this is the first statement of intent that it's going to get both."

The project has secured initial funding from Liverpool Business Improvement District, made up of business and cultural leaders in the city.

Bill Addy, chief executive officer of Liverpool Business Improvement District, said the organisation was "proud to support this project and what it represents".

"Liverpool has always been a city that celebrates the people who shape and help to define its culture, and The Vivienne was one of them," he added.

A fundraising campaign to pay towards the cost of the statue was launched earlier.

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