The Vivienne’s sister Chanel Williams on ketamine campaigning and honouring her brother’s memory (EXCLUSIVE)
The Williams family has been awarded the Inspiration Award at the 2025 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards for their work dedicated to tackling addiction through the creation of the House of The Vivienne
By Dale Fox
The public knew The Vivienne as a phenomenon, a queen of flawless wit and fierce glamour who conquered television and took a starring role on the West End stage. Yet for her sister, Chanel Williams, she was simply James, her best friend, a person whose natural ability to entertain and command a room was always there. After his death, the Williams family is channelling their grief into action, creating a living legacy that is as powerful and direct as The Vivienne herself.
The Williams family has been awarded the Inspiration Award at the 2025 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, in recognition of their work creating the House of The Vivienne, a safe space and campaign group dedicated to tackling addiction. It’s a full-circle moment, as The Vivienne herself received the same honour in 2022.
When Chanel remembers her brother as a child, she starts with a loft room and the roar of a storm. In James’s bedroom in their family home, he’d set up a video camera and “reenacted the whole of The Wizard of Oz”, playing every single part himself. “James as a child was very larger than life, shall we say.”
The Vivienne, the polished queen who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and went on to further television fame and West End theatre, learned early how to command a room. Chanel still laughs about the time her “fabulous prom dress” went missing and later turned up in a photo on Facebook with her brother wearing it. “I was like, ‘That’s mine!’”
“That was the first time that we knew” – Chanel Williams on discovering The Vivienne’s addiction issues
When The Vivienne used her platform to speak about addiction, including discussing her issues with ketamine on Drag Race UK, it mattered. As Chanel says, “When that aired, that was the first time that we knew.”
Out of the family’s heartache has come a purposeful mission. The House of The Vivienne “is a safe and inclusive space for anyone facing addiction”, Chanel explains. “We primarily focus on ketamine, but the doors are open to anyone, whether it be an individual that’s struggling, or friends, family.”
The on-the-ground work is just one part of a much wider mission. Chanel has taken the cause to the highest levels of government. “I’ve visited the Houses of Parliament a number of times now and I’ve spoken to ministers within education, justice and public health,” she says. “The House of Viv is really pushing for a collaborative approach for a revision of the drug strategy and for the reclassification of ketamine [to Class A from Class B].”
“What I want to see moving forward is that real change”
She adds: “What I want to see moving forward is that real change, the education within schools. So that James’s story is known and that it’s ultimately The Vivienne that’s making waves — as always.”
In a recent tribute to The Vivienne, the charity single ‘Your Light Will Shine’ was released, written by her manager and close friend, Simon Jones. The song, which benefits LGBTQ+ support line Switchboard, features vocals from Bimini, Tia Kofi and other queer artists. She talks about Jones as “the most amazing human being”, and stresses that his support continues. “It’s not wavered in any way. I’m able to call him at any point. He’s become a friend.”
“It’s really nice to show people that you are a real person under all that glamour” – Chanel Williams on Dear Viv documentary
After James’s death, the BBC documentary Dear Viv became a way for the family to show the world the person behind the persona. The film, produced by World of Wonder, goes beyond mourning to celebrate his life, featuring intimate interviews with his parents Cassie and Lee, Chanel, as well as friends like Baga Chipz, Danny Beard, Cheryl Hole and Raja. “It’s really nice to show people that you are a real person under all that glamour.”
The Vivienne’s own voice from her 2022 Attitude Awards interview is threaded through all of this. “You’re always knocking yourself: ‘I’m just doing drag. I’m just doing my job.’ But then, you open Instagram and see messages from people about addiction, from the parents of fans.”
Chanel says that the campaigning, the House, the public speaking, all of it is intended to be a living tribute to who her brother was. “James would want you to know you matter, your life matters and there is help.” And she means it. “Anything that we have done, is because of James. Anything that’s been achieved in terms of the campaigning is all him. That’s the power of The Vivienne.”
This is an excerpt from a feature appearing in the 2025 Attitude Awards issue. To see the full feature, order your copy of the Attitude Awards 2025 issue now or read it alongside 15 years of back issues on the free Attitude app.