Kitty Scott-Claus on dating fails, body image and the future of Drag Race UK

Ever since Kitty Scott-Claus sashayed into the Drag Race UK werkroom in 2021, eventually finishing joint runner-up, the Brummie diva hasn’t bloody stopped. She’s popped up on a string of UK game shows, including Pointless Celebrities, Celebrity MasterChef and The Weakest Link; gone head-to-head with international Glamazons on Drag Race Global All Stars, where she claimed runner-up once again; and conquered the world of panto with TuckShop. She’s also added marathon runner to her ever-growing list of achievements: next year, she’ll be running in support of The King’s Trust, having previously raised awareness for Alzheimer’s Research UK in honour of her grandmother, Beryl, and Drag Race UK’s first late champion, The Vivienne.

Now, Kitty is joining a host of familiar LGBTQIA+ faces in the UK for NYX Professional Makeup and Tinder’s latest campaign, ‘Match in Full Colour’. Celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community’s use of makeup as a tool for self-expression, confidence and authenticity on dating apps, the campaign explores how putting your most colourful self forward can help you find your perfect match. From dating red flags to the gloss essentials for a first date, Kitty, Ella Morgan, Jason Kwan, Tyreece, Shania and Joe Baggs are spilling the tea with NYX and Tinder.

Here, Gay Times catches up with Kitty to discuss the campaign – which she describes as the “most inclusive and celebratory campaign” she’s ever seen from a makeup brand – alongside her dating horror stories, navigating her love life following her weight-loss journey, and her upcoming panto stint with TuckShop.

And, following the news that Drag Race UK is moving from the BBC to WOW Presents Plus, Kitty shares why she thinks the change will “breathe new life” into the series, and whether she’ll be – cat pun incoming, sorry – clawing her way to the crown once again for UK All Stars…

Kitty, life is manic for you right now. You’ve got marathons, beauty campaigns, beanstalks… 

It’s never a dull moment with Kitty Scott-Claus, but I love that. Doing a show like RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has springboarded me in ways and places that I never thought or imagined for myself. I remember coming off the show and going into Masterchef like, ‘This is wild!’ This year I got invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, for my work with the King’s Trust… 

And you met the queen… 

[Confusion]. 

Kylie Minogue. 

Oh, I did! Oh my god I was sitting here like, ‘Wait, what?!’ Yeah, twice! Iconic. Again, it’s things like that. I count my lucky stars everyday. I’m living my dream. 

Let’s dive into the incredible NYX Professional Makeup and Tinder campaign. What was it about the campaign that spoke to you, and what does showing up in full colour mean to you? 

Seeing the footage from that campaign, I have not seen such an inclusive and celebratory campaign from any makeup brand – full stop. I feel so honoured and lucky to be part of that, and I feel so passionately about it as a makeup wearer and dating user. And when the call came in they were like, ‘Do you have any Tinder horror stories?’ I was like, ‘Sit down. Let me fill you in, honey bunny.’ Not just ho'rror stories, but positive stories came from Tinder too. 

"I have not seen such an inclusive and celebratory campaign from any makeup brand – full stop. I feel so honoured and lucky to be part of that."

A couple years ago now, I was showing my friends my Tinder profile and they were like, ‘Why do you have no pictures of you in drag on there?’ That was me being like, ‘They don’t want me for that. I’m not presenting myself on a dating platform.’ Then came the realisation: erm, no. Drag is a huge part of my life, and it’s more than just a job for me. And makeup is such a huge part of who I am as an individual. Even as a boy, if I’m going on a date, I will be wearing a full face of makeup. It’s not gonna be a full Kitty face – I’ll have a brow, a bit of blush, a bit of lip gloss. 

I want to be the best version of myself and I find NYX Cosmetics really helps push that. It gives you the tools and the freedom to be yourself to the nth degree, and that is so fabulous. With a platform like Tinder on top of that, it’s a marriage made in heaven. 

Totally. Alright, tell me the horror stories then. What’s the one that stands out to you most? 

I went on a date with a guy who was talking a really big game: ‘I do this, that, the other.’ I was like, ‘OMG, wow!’, calling my mum, ‘Buy the hat, Vicky – it’s happening, I’m getting married!’ Then on the date, there were these little red flags and I was like, ‘That’s not what you said before…’ But we’re in Jamie’s Italian in Stratford and we’ve just ordered doughballs, I can’t escape darling! At the end he asked if I would go back to his and I was like, ‘Wow… what an offer.’ He said, ‘I’ve arranged for a driver’ and this guy’s mum turned up! I was like, ‘No, this is not a bit of me. I’m getting the tube home – see you later.’ A horror story. 

I had another in Stratford – Stratford and me, we don’t get on! I’ve realised this now. First of all, this guy said he was a doctor. He wasn’t a doctor. He just worked in a hospital. Then I asked his star sign and he told me Sagittarius. I was like, ‘Oh that’s around now, isn’t it?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, my birthday’s today.’ Erm, this is your birthday and you’re on a date with me? What? I thought I was so special! In the end he was like, ‘Do you wanna come back to my house? I’ve got a pet rabbit…’ I was like, ‘I love animals!’ It transpired it wasn’t a real animal. I didn’t get this until years later when I was telling Ella Vaday and she was like, ‘Babe, do you not get what he was trying to say?’ 

Nah, if someone said that to me I would also assume it was the fluffy kind? 

Surely! But I’m like, that is the funniest thing in the world. These little anecdotes… Tinder is fantastic. 

So if I ever get asked on a date in Stratford…

Don’t go! That’s my biggest takeaway from Tinder: don’t go on a date in Stratford. 

And you’ve had a lot of positive experiences too?

One hundred per cent. No matter who I match with, I’m always going to find something in common with them. I can be there like, ‘You have a face and I have a face – let’s talk about that.’ You find the common ground. I love a chat. The amount of people that I’ve got in my life to this day that I met on Tinder. You go into it thinking, ‘I’m gonna find my husband’ and maybe not, but you find great friends too. And finding friends in London is hard enough. So the fact that Tinder is out there, not just for dating – it’s for everything.

"I’m Bridget Jones – horrendous at dating and I wear granny pants in drag."

Also, let’s hype Tinder up. The new horoscope feature, that is camp – especially for the gays. You can get a notification like, ‘This person is a Leo and that’s compatible with you. You’re a Pisces, boom.’ This goes hand-in-hand with the makeup side of NYX Cosmetics. The fact that you can customize your profile so much on Tinder – you can add a song, change your photos around. Doing this campaign made me realise your photos are so important because first impressions matter so much.

I’m curious: what’s your song on Tinder? 

I’ve kept it as the same song because it’s one of my favourite songs of all time: Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Taste’. I think it sums me up! It’s cheeky, flirty, fun.  

You wrote an op-ed for iPaper last year about the strange experience of receiving more attention from men after your weight loss journey, and questioning why your body seemed to change your perceived worth in their eyes. Has that changed the way you approach dating now, or are you still figuring out how to navigate that?

That was such a weird thing for me to get my head around. I’m Bridget Jones – horrendous at dating and I wear granny pants in drag. Do what you will with that. Then going on Drag Race, having that platform, then losing eight stone…I was seeing someone, quite soon after I lost the weight. We were on my phone swiping – not on Tinder! – a photo memory came up and I was quite big in it. He said, ‘I’d still like you if you were still that big.’ Hearing those words from him, I think he meant it as a positive like, ‘I like you no matter what,’ but the body dysphoria came rushing in. I felt like an imposter. It’s been a weird thing to overcome. I think I’ll always have body dysmorphia. Even now I’ll look in the mirror like, ‘Oh, I can’t wear that.’ 

Something that really stood out in your article was the idea that the qualities you have to offer – your humour, creativity and warmth – have nothing to do with the number on the scales. How do you make sure those parts of yourself remain at the centre when you're dating, particularly in a world where first impressions are often based on appearance?

Being a gay man in London where everything is disposable, everything becomes so much. If you don’t fit someone’s idea straightaway, you’re swiped the other way. That is an obstacle itself. What I found tricky was, I would get guys who I’ve been interested in before – who wouldn’t give me the time of day when I was bigger – sliding in my DMs when I’ve posted a topless photo like, ‘Hey, how are you?’ How superficial is that? I’m exactly the same. In my head I’ve not changed. Now they’re showing an interest in me where they wouldn’t have before. Dating is scary – I mean, I’m 33 and I have no fucking clue what’s going on. Now I know there’s an astrology feature, though, I’m like, ‘Let’s get more active on there.’ The people at Tinder, they know what they’re doing. They know this is for the gays, girls and theys. 

If you could give one piece of dating advice to a young LGBTQIA+ person who’s still coming to terms with who they are and the world of dating, what would you say? 

To a little Gen-Z, I would say: don’t go on a date or an app as a diluted version of yourself. You wanna be the full fat version of yourself. As RuPaul says, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” Wear the makeup. Wear the concealer. Wear the glitter. Wear the rhinestones. Be your true, authentic self. The world is crazy right now, it’s mental, but if you can allow yourself the freedom of self-expression and enjoyment, then the world is gonna be a better place. 

And let’s discuss how you’re in your marathon era! Next year will be your third?

Yes, my third! I’m running for the King’s Trust next year. I love everything they stand for; seeing first-hand the way they help change young people’s lives is so inspiring. The more we can do to scream about that and to end youth unemployment, the better! Also, I feel like you can’t do two marathons, you have to do three. Good things come in threes!

So is this your final lap? 

No because next year I’ll be like, ‘I’ve got to do five.’ 

You’ve dedicated your first two marathons to two incredibly important people in your life, The Vivienne and your grandmother Beryl. How much did having that personal connection to the cause help you push through some of the tougher moments of the race?

Yeah. And you’re running the marathon for like four hours. When you hit a wall like, ‘Oh god, why am I doing this?’, I remember my grandma. I was there, around mile 25, and I ran past my parents and the Alzheimer’s Research UK Team and I remember thinking, ‘This is for you grandma.’ I’m not a very emotional person, but I could feel her running with me across the finish line. I felt like I could take on the world. I think having a personal connection to the reason you’re running is what gets you through. Because it’s a long time, and it’s painful. By the end of it, I’ve lost all my toenails – I can’t put an open-toe shoe on for weeks. 

"If Ru calls, you answer. Both times I’ve done the show has changed my life so much. I’m a bit like, ‘You’ve had two chances to crown me – always the bridesmaid, never the bride!’"

Now: Fee, Fi, Fo Fum? You’re playing Princess Jill in the upcoming panto, Jack and the Beanstalk… 

I can’t wait. It’s my fifth TuckShop panto I’ve done with them and I love it. It gets bigger, better, sillier, camper and more chaotic every year – if that’s even possible! And the cast is hilarious. This year we have Rose, who I was on The Diana Mixtape with and love so much, and then Kyran Thrax takes over. We have Bones, Yshee Black, Ophelia Love, Cheryl, Kate Butch, Derry King… And the giants change show by show. So I think we have 11 different performers coming in to play the giant, which is so exciting. It really is the highlight of my year, doing TuckShop. I just love the sense of community we get from it. I get DMs from people saying, ‘When’s panto getting announced? What’s it going to be?’ And this is in, like February! 

I couldn't let you go without asking about Drag Race UK! There's been quite a bit of shock and speculation surrounding its move from the BBC to WOW Presents Plus. How do you see the show evolving on that platform?

Drag Race is such a phenomenon and I don’t see it going anywhere. I feel like it’s not the end. It’s like when Bake Off moved from BBC to Channel 4. We’re just moving house. Also, I think it’s gonna be fun because it will shake it up. They’re not going to have the constraints of the BBC, they will be allowed to do their own thing like cash prizes and sponsorships. It will breathe new life into Drag Race UK. Also, the fact they’re kicking off with UK All Stars – like, hello, this is what people have wanted for years. Even when I was on season three! 

I know you’ve been on Global All Stars, but would you do UK All Stars?

If Ru calls, you answer. Both times I’ve done the show has changed my life so much. I’m a bit like, ‘You’ve had two chances to crown me – always the bridesmaid, never the bride!’ So maybe the third time I’ll finally snatch the crown. 

I’m the kinda fan who celebrates when queens come back for a fourth, fifth time and so on. In ten years time, I want Manila Luzon to finally get her crown. Y’know? I’m that person. 

People were slagging off Alexis Mateo like, ‘This is her fifth time’ and it’s like, good on her. 

Okay, theoretically: you’re on UK All Stars, who do you want to compete against?

Do you know who I’m desperate to see back on? And it’s because I’m such a huge fan of her: Vanity Milan. In my head, she’s a winner. Who else… This is just going to be me naming off the season three cast like, ‘I’d love Ella there, I’d love Choriza [May], I’d love River [Medway], I’d love Victoria [Scone].’ Do you know who I would love to come back? Dakota Schiffer and Paris Baby, ‘cos she’s the best TV. Tayce, obviously, that would be iconic. 

I have another request: can we fast-track Yshee Black and get her on UK All Stars? In my head she’s already been on Drag Race. There’s so many UK queens like, ‘Why have you not been on yet?’ 

Mary Mac, Freida Slaves…

Sophia Stardust… Exactly.