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Drag Race Down Under’s Kita Mean home for Christmas after hospital stay

"I just can't wait to heal, get well, and hit the stage again," Kita Mean has said.

By Alastair James

Kita Mean, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under
Kita Mean, RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under (Image: World of Wonder/BBC)

It’s a Christmas miracle! The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Kita Mean, will be home for Christmas Day after a stay in hospital.

The New Zealand queen, 36, who won the first season of Drag Race Down Under, has been in hospital after experiencing complications following a tummy tuck procedure performed in Thailand.

Back home in New Zealand, Kita updated her followers on Thursday (22 December) from her hospital bed before having more surgery.

Posting in her Instagram stories, Kita thanked fans for their love and support. “In a crazy fabulous turn of events,” her surgery had been bumped up to Thursday. She was also told she would be sent home to start healing in her own bed over Christmas. However, she is due back in hospital in a few weeks for a skin graft.

Kita Mean
Kita Mean posts an update from her hospital bed (Image: Instagram/@kitamean)

Seeming upbeat Kita said “So, as cheesy as it sounds it feels to me like a Christmas miracle. It’s a little win. So, I feel a sense of relief actually.”

“I just can’t wait to heal, get well, and hit the stage again,” she added before blowing a kiss. The next update on Friday (23 December) showed Kita having arrived back home post-surgery. She posted a bunch of red flowers with a caption indicating they were sent by someone in the US.

Kita Mean recieves flowers
Kita Mean recieves flowers after returning home from surgery (Image: Instagram/@kitamean)

Speaking to Express on Thursday, Kita said the surgery would mean missing out on performing at London’s G-A-Y. An Instagram post from the LGBTQ venue in November advertised Kita performing alongside Drag Race‘s Yvie Oddly, Jaida Essence Hall, and Jorgeous on New Year’s Eve.

An updated version on Wednesday (21 December) showed Kita’s space had been filled by Drag Race UK‘s Victoria Scone.

Kita will also miss her spot at DragCon UK in January 2023.

“I’ve lost out on thousands of dollars of work and have spent thousands of dollars on prep for DragCon UK but you know what, I still have to count my blessings,” she told Express.

“There are many people in the world doing it shit tons worse than a queen that can’t go to a convention laying in a hospital bed. So I try to keep myself in check and keep the perspective.”

She admitted “it’s hard to stay positive,” after the complications in Thailand. They extended her trip from the planned 15 days to five weeks.

“I’m determined to get through this,” she added.