The Vivienne, of RuPaul's Drag Race, kept ketamine struggle secret from family
Chanel Williams, the brother of James Lee Williams -also known by their alter ego The Vivienne - has said the first time they knew of their ketamine addiction was when their family was watching 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK', and James' family did not know they had relapsed until they died in January 2025.
The Vivienne kept their ketamine struggles a secret from their family
Chanel Williams, the brother of James Lee Williams - who died in January 2025 from cardiac arrest caused by taking ketamine at the age of 32 - admitted the family did not know about the first time they took the Class B drug until James revealed it on 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK' in 2019, and "had no idea" until they died that "it'd become an issue again in [their] life".
Now, Chanel is fighting the UK Government to reclassify ketamine from a Class B to a Class A drug to stop others - particularly young people - from taking the "extremely addictive, extremely dangerous" substance.
She told late night BBC news show 'Newsnight' host Victoria Derbyshire on April 22: "The first time we even knew that my brother had previously battled with any sort of ketamine addiction was when he appeared on 'Drag Race [UK]', so we learnt that at the same time as the rest of the nation, really, watching the show.
"And it was so heart-breaking to know that he'd been through what he'd been through during that addiction period and not been able to seek help or speak to us.
"And we had no idea at the point that he passed away that it'd become an issue again in his life."
Chanel said her brother had "a really long period of sobriety" before he relapsed, which led to the untimely death of James in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, which has "left a huge hole in all of our lives".
She said: "With losing my brother, it's left a huge hole in all of our lives and complete devastation I don't think even comes close to describing the complete heartbreak of losing him and what life is now like without him.
"He was our light, and you just don't know how you find a way forward."
James spoke openly about their ketamine addiction when they starred as their alter ego The Vivienne on the BBC Three show back in 2019, and Chanel wants to continue James' legacy of raising awareness.
She added: "I think it's putting as much focus into doing what we can around raising awareness and really ensuring that [their] legacy lives on in that way.
"If we can raise awareness around the dangers of taking ketamine, then I think that's what needs to happen to try and deter the younger generation."
Drug dealers selling ketamine can currently face a jail sentence of up to 14 years, but if it was reclassified to Class A, the sentence would go up to potentially life behind bars.
Speaking about her determination to reclassify ketamine, Chanel said: "I think it's a first step.
"The classification needs to be in line with the risks that are associated with ketamine use because the risks are very severe, but I think it can't be a singular approach.
"In 2021, the Government brought out a strategy around drug use. We need to revisit that. It needs to be indicative of what is happening now, and it needs to focus on ensuring that there is enough support and recovery services available for people.
"I really want to push for the reclassification because I do believe that young children - especially - looking at that think it's less harmful than another drug, so that is important.
"But we also need to look at education, policing and health, and have a multi-agency approach to really tackle drug use."
