The Vivienne's sister delivers heartbreaking update on drug addiction in first TV interview

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Chanel Williams, sister of The Vivienne, has spoken out about her brother's hidden battles prior to their untimely passing in a heartfelt chat with ITV. "We didn't know that struggle that was going on towards the end of his life," she revealed. "That stigma we need to break down." The Vivienne, crowned Drag Race UK champion, sadly died in January, and it was later confirmed by their manager and close friend Simon Jones this month that the cause was "from the effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac arrest".

Sharing the news on Instagram, Simon stated: "James's family and I feel it is important to say how James tragically died. We hope that by us releasing this information we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do your body." In an emotional conversation with Lorraine Kelly on ITV regarding The Vivienne's passing, Chanel expressed: "It's completely devastated us all.

It was so unexpected and he loved life. Now, reflecting on everything, you just think, 'What can you take from this now and what can we do?'". "So as a family we're really passionate about turning this into something where we can make a difference and we can make a chance and raise awareness around the drug ketamine and the dangers," reports the Mirror.

Chanel opened up about The Vivienne's battle with addiction, admitting the family was unaware they had relapsed. "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," she shared. "He was maintaining, he was on tour, doing so well.