The Vivienne’s ‘devastated sister Chanel Williams has revealed she and her family had no idea the Drag Race star was once again ‘struggling’ with addiction ahead of his tragic death aged 32. 

The Vivienne, whose real name was James Lee Williams, died January 5 from a cardiac arrest after taking ketamine, following years of sobriety and being open about their battle with drugs.

Chanel appeared on Monday’s Lorraine in her first TV interview since her brother’s death and said she believed ‘breaking down the stigma’ of addiction could have helped save her sibling.

She told host Lorraine Kelly: ‘He’s gone through long periods of sobriety so for us as a family, we didn’t know that struggle that was clearly going on towards the end of his life’.

‘He was maintaining, he was on tour, doing so well. He was reading scripts for the future. So I think that stigma we need to break down so people feel about to talk.’ 

Before adding: ‘It’s hard if you’ve battled and then gone through that period of sobriety, it’s even harder to come back and say: ‘I’m struggling again”.

The Vivienne’s ‘devastated sister Chanel Williams has revealed she and her family had no idea the Drag Race star was once again ‘struggling’ with addiction ahead of his tragic death

The Vivienne, whose real name was James Lee Williams, died January 5 from a cardiac arrest after taking ketamine, following years of sobriety  (pictured 2022)

Chanel went on to say that the family saw it as The Vivienne’s ‘legacy’ to raise awareness around the dangers of Ketamine and get it reclassified to class A and are taking their fight to the Houses of Parliament. 

She said: ‘know that he would want this. He struggled and he was open about that, I know that he would want this fight. This is beyond the most devastating time. For me to see my parents struggle as they are, we’ve just got to channel that into hoping that other families don’t feel like this’. 

Reflecting on other people who have sadly lost their lives due to Ketamine usage, Lorraine said: ‘The first time I really heard about this and how dangerous it was, was Matthew Perry. Was he not given it to help with depression I believe?’

Cheryl Williams, manager of a drug rehabilitation centre joined the conversation to issue a stark warning, saying: ‘This is the thing we need to make clear, in a medically monitored situation, the drug is pure. 

‘When you’re buying it off the street through the drug dealers, you have no idea what it’s being cut with and children are also then taking it with other substances.’

The Vivienne once said ketamine was her ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’ at the height of addiction.

Telling The Mirror: ‘I could have three bags of it just putting my face on, I did it on and off for four years, I was getting evicted from apartments, I had no money.’

Following the inquest last week The Vivienne’s friend Simon Jones said on Instagram that he and the the family feel it is ‘important to say how James tragically died’.

Chanel appeared on Monday’s Lorraine in her first TV interview since her brother’s death and said she believed ‘breaking down the stigma’ of addiction could have helped save her sibling

She said: ‘He was maintaining, he was on tour, doing so well. He was reading scripts for the future. So I think that stigma we need to break down so people feel about to talk’

Chanel went on to say that the family saw it as The Vivienne’s ‘legacy’ to raise awareness around the dangers of Ketamine and get it reclassified to class A and are taking their fight to the Houses of Parliament (pictured 2023) 

She said: ‘know that he would want this. He struggled and he was open about that, I know that he would want this fight. This is beyond the most devastating time’

Added: ‘We hope that by us releasing this information, we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body.

‘Ketamine usage is on the rise, particularly amongst young people, and I don’t think the full dangers of the drug are being discussed.’

He added they hope to work with mental health and addiction service Adferiad to ‘raise vital awareness and give information on how to get help if you are struggling with ketamine usage’.

Read MoreBREAKING NEWS RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne died from cardiac arrest after taking ketamine, family reveal

A post mortem found The Vivienne’s cause of death was ‘unnatural’, a coroner was told during the February hearing, but no further information was revealed about how the TV star died.

The body of the star was identified to police by their father, Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard. There were no suspicious circumstances.

Area coroner Victoria Davies adjourned the brief hearing for a full inquest in June.

The Vivienne was catapulted to international fame after winning the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019. But amid their rise to fame, they also battled with drug addiction – something they openly spoke about in the past.

News of their sudden and unexpected death in January sparked an outpouring of grief, with hundreds of family, friends and fans gathering in their adopted home city Liverpool to release green balloons into the air to The Vivienne’s favourite songs from Wicked.

Mourners including Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Kim Woodburn, Jade Thirlwall, Aston Merrygold and Claire Sweeney attended the TV star’s funeral in Denbighshire, North Wales. 

Following the inquest last week The Vivienne’s friend Simon Jones said on Instagram that he and the the family feel it is ‘important to say how James tragically died’ (pictured 2023) 

The Vivienne was catapulted to international fame after winning the first series of RuPaul ‘s Drag Race UK in 2019 (pictured) But amid their rise to fame, they also battled with drug addiction 

The crown and sceptre The Vivienne won on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK were carried into the church ahead of their coffin, family and a host of stars.

Many wore green for the service while Vivienne Westwood badges were worn on the lapels of some of the men’s suits.

Floral tributes in the hearse read ‘Vivienne’, ‘James’ and ‘Son’. A fourth was made up of purple flowers in the shape of a witch’s hat – a nod to their Wizard Of Oz stint.

Born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the entertainer grew up watching Lily Savage on TV, citing that as their first exposure to drag.

Describing Wales as a ‘big-fish-in-a-small-pond situation’, the star moved to Liverpool aged 16 to pursue a career as a makeup artist, first working on the beauty counter in Debenhams

If you are struggling with addiction, call the Frank drugs helpline on 0300 123 6600 

Watch Lorraine weekdays from 9am on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player 

WHAT IS KETAMINE? 

Ketamine is a powerful general anesthetic that is used to stop humans and animals experiencing pain during operations.

It started being used as a party drug in the late 2000s, with people taking it before raves for a more intense experience. 

It is used as an anesthetic, and has been in the national spotlight since the death of Colorado’s Elijah McClain, who struggled with police and was injected by paramedics with a dosage appropriate for someone weighing 200 pounds. He weighed 143 pounds. Colorado is now trying to limit first responders’ use of ketamine and other chemical restraints. 

What are the side effects? 

Ketamine causes a loss of feeling and paralysis of the muscles.

It can also lead to people experiencing hallucinations and a distortion of reality, which many call entering the ‘k-hole’.

This is when people believe they have spoken to God or a higher power, which can lead to addiction as they crave that experience.

Ketamine may also cause people to feel incapable of moving, or lead to panic attacks, confusion and memory loss.

Regular users can seriously damage their bladders, which may need to be surgically removed.

Other risks include a raised heart rate and blood pressure.

Paralysis of the muscles can leave people vulnerable to hurting themselves, while not feeling pain properly can cause them to underestimate any damage. 

Many claim ketamine withdrawal is worse than any other drug, with some feeling so depressed they contemplate suicide. 

If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the Samaritans here.

How is it taken and what is the law around it? 

For medical use ketamine is liquid but the ‘street’ drug is normally a grainy, white powder.

In 1999, ketamine became a Schedule III non-narcotic substance under the Controlled Substances Act. It currently has accepted medical uses for short-term sedation and anesthesia. 

In 2019, the FDA approved a version of the drug for treatment-resistant depression, which is only available at a doctor’s office or a clinic. 

Is illegal use of ketamine common?

In May 2023, a new report found that law enforcement agencies seized more than 1,500 pounds of ketamine in 2022 – about 12 times more than in 2017.

Tennessee, Florida and California had the most seizures of the drug. However, it’s not clear whether those states have the highest usage. 

Medical-grade ketamine is typically in a liquid form and is often administered through an IV. 

But most of the illegally obtained ketamine was in a powder form, which means it risks being contaminated with other chemicals, in particular fentanyl.

How many people die from ketamine use? 

Exact data is hard to come by: unlike with cocaine, heroin, or opioids the CDC does not publish the data on monthly and annual deaths.

The number is low, especially when compared to drugs such as fentanyl, which in 2022 killed almost 74,000 people. 

 

Source: Talk to Frank, US Drug Enforcement ᴀssociation