SPECIAL THANKS TO IMOGEN REID AND AOIFE KILBANE AT THE BBC

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has just been Krystal-ized, officially. After ten gag-worthy weeks featuring “more twists than a cheese twist in a bakery” (Anubis, 2021) – legacy lip-syncs, double shantays, double sashays and medical-related departures, to name a few – RuPaul crowned (spoiler alert!) Krystal Versace in a stunning Christmas-themed smackdown for the crown.

The Kent native and her fellow finalists, Ella Vaday and Kitty Scott-Claus, were tasked with writing and recording lyrics to Ru’s critically-reviewed holiday anthem Hey Sis, It’s Christmas, before strutting down the runway in their final three eleganza extravagaaaaanza. Although they all annihilated the challenge and runway, Krystal secured the win after lip-syncing the house down to Dusty Springfield’s You Don’t Own Me. With her win, Krystal made history as the youngest ever Drag Race champion across all franchises.

“It feels insane. It feels correct. It feels honestly unbelievable. I honestly can’t even wrap my head around it. I would never have thought I’d take the crown,” Krystal tells GAY TIMES after spending her night celebrating with the season three cast and headlining Porn Idol at Heaven Nightclub. “It means that Ru completely believes in my drag and trusts me to bring it forth. That already in itself means the world. It has just put the biggest stamp on everything I’ve done for the last three years, building my drag career and working really hard until the rest of my life, really.” 

Read ahead for our full interview with the UK’s Next Drag Superstar about her time on one of the most chaotic Drag Race seasons in herstory, who she wants to conquer season four and whether she’ll accept an invitation for that long-rumoured winners’ season. Krystal also reveals the unaired moment where she “popped off” on another contestant. You ready for all this T?

Congratulations on winning the crown! How does it feel to be the youngest Drag Race winner ever?Oh my god. It feels insane. It feels correct. It feels honestly unbelievable. I honestly can’t even wrap my head around it. I would never have thought I’d take the crown.

What does it mean for you, personally, to be the UK’s Next Drag Superstar?
It means that Ru completely believes in my drag and trusts me to bring it forth. That already in itself means the world. It has just put the biggest stamp on everything I’ve done for the last three years, building my drag career and working really hard until the rest of my life, really.

Have you heard from Ru yet? How does that work? Does he call? Does he text?
I sometimes pop over for a cuppa! 

Of course.
No. He’s somewhere.

Take me back to last night. What was your reaction when Ru called your name?
Oh, that was crazy. The suspense they create… I knew that was going to be painfully intense. It was just amazing, we had the best time watching that episode. That was the funnest viewing we had. Then after that, it was just like, ‘Do you know what babes? Whatever happens.’ Before we went onto the show we were like, ‘Girls, whoever gets it deserves it. We don’t care.’ Then when my name was called, I didn’t know what to say. You saw it! I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t even cry, I was literally in shock. Everyone was cheering and I was like, ‘I’ve literally just fell into a dream. I don’t know what’s happening.’

How did your mum react?
My mum was bawling it. She couldn’t even take a breath, bless her! It was so cute. It was so bloody nice to have her there, just witnessing it all, feeling it all. What an amazing episode. What an amazing ride.

Not only were you in the company of your season three queens, but Tracy Beaker was there too! Tracy motherfucking Beaker!
Oh my god, I know! How gaggy.

It really was an amazing evening. How did you feel when you were competing in the final challenge, then speaking with Ru on the stage and lip-syncing for the crown?
Honestly, the competition got so much better towards the end, as well as watching it from the outside. I was saying how genuine this episode was. We could just see each other having fun, just bouncing back, and I could see I was forgetting that I was on camera. It was just so nice. Even talking with Ru and Michelle, there was so much stuff that was cut out, we were just having a right laugh, it was so funny.