The sister of The Vivienne has questioned whether the “stigma” around drug use stopped the drag queen from seeking help.
James Lee Williams, 32, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, died at home in Chorlton-by-Backford, Cheshire on 5 January after taking ketamine.
Chanel Williams told the BBC Two current affairs programme Newsnight that The Vivienne did not discuss their relapse, including a hospital stay, to “protect” their family, after “a really long period of sobriety”.
“It’s hard for me because I think, if that stigma wasn’t there, would my brother have sought the help he needed?” she said.
“To think that, if we’d known, or if he’d have felt able to talk and really reach out for the help that was needed, the outcome could’ve been different.
“That’s why we’ve shared James’s story.”
The family revealed in March that Williams died “from the effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac arrest”, to raise awareness.
They also said they would work with the drug charity Adferiad on future campaigns.
“He’d spoken openly on Drag Race about the battles he’d had with addiction, and he’d come through the other side of that,” Chanel said.
“He was at the height of everything he was doing and I think, because he’d said it in such an open platform, it’s really difficult to come back and say you’re struggling again.”
Among other measures to tackle addiction, she also said ketamine should become class A rather than class B, because people “think it’s less harmful than other drugs”.
She added: “But it’s not just about reclassification … It needs to include education, police, health, to really raise awareness. We need a strategy around drug usage and drug deaths in the UK.”
The government is seeking expert advice after the illegal use of ketamine surged to record levels.
While on Drag Race, Welsh-born The Vivienne said they had been a drug addict for four years, saying the addiction was a “habit that caught on a bit too quick and a bit too hard”.
• In the UK, Action on Addiction is available on 0300 330 0659. In the US, call or text SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 988. In Australia, the National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline is at 1800 250 015; families and friends can seek help at Family Drug Support Australia at 1300 368 186.
