SPECIAL THANKS TO NIALL HAY AND ELOISE LONGDEN AT THE BBC

With her showgirl style, razor-sharp wit and no-f**ks-given attitude — from her hilarious disinterest in Viola and Catrin Feelings’ quarrel to her nonchalant exit line — Nyongbella has emerged as the breakout star of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season seven.

Sadly, the trans icon’s popularity with viewers sharply contrasted with her experience on the judges’ panel, landing in the bottom three times. “Every single week, it was just never what I predicted,” Nyongbella tells Gay Times. “There’d be weeks where I thought they were going to hate the performance but love the look, or hate the look but love the performance, and vice versa. It was always a switcheroo with me.”

On this week’s challenge, the queens starred in “bonk-buster adaptations,” with Nyongbella performing alongside Catrin Feelings and Chai T Grande in Mucky Bitches as a high-camp horse diva. Despite eliciting laughs from viewers and delivering a unique take on the Absolutely Fabulous runway with an homage to Saffy, Nyongbella faced off against Sillexa Diction in the lip-sync smackdown and became the third queen to sashay away.

Here, we chat with Nyongbella about her elimination and overall Drag Race UK journey. She reflects on her “disconnect” with the judges, her plans for the talent show and Snatch Game, and her ambitious career goals: “I want to work in music, fashion, beauty… and the morgue.” KK, bye!

Nyongbella, how are you post-Drag Race UK elimination?

It’s been amazing. I mean, what’s great is that I left the episode in high spirits, so I didn’t leave on a downer kind of note. I don’t feel that energy, do you know what I mean? So yeah, I feel fantastic. I mean, I feel bad that a lot of people feel bad that I’m leaving, but I’m like… Don’t cry for me, Argentina. My life goes on, and I’ll be fab. This is only just the beginning.

“KK, bye”.

Exactly. KK, bye.