Is there anything Michelle Visage can’t do? Queen of the runway, radio extraordinaire, and West End royalty, the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge has never been in more demand.
Now, ahead of her starring role in one-night-only original musical, Sea Witch, Michelle, 57, revealed in an exclusive interview with HELLO! that when it comes to her professional aspirations, the sky is the limit.
One of her dreams, she explains, is to join her close friend, Claudia Winkleman, whom she met while competing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, on the Celebrity Traitors.
“I would absolutely love to [do the show,” she explains before revealing the opportunity to be on the programme had already come her way, but she had to turn it down.
“The issue is I film at the same time,” Michelle explains, adding: “And my biggest concern is that people would automatically assume because of my ‘character’ on Drag Race that I’d be a Traitor, and that’s not necessarily true.”
‘People would automatically assume, because of my character on Drag Race, that I’d be a Traitor’
She quipped: “I don’t wanna be first off because people don’t have the vision that I can be something other than what I play on the telly, but I think inevitably I will absolutely do it at some point. I would love to.”
© Dave Benett/Getty Images for BAFTalking about her bond with host of the programme Claudia and her co-host on Strictly, Tess Daly, she added: “I love them, I love them both. I call them both friends. I absolutely adore them. Claudia is a hell of a woman, and she’s so funny and so fun, and Tess is lovely. I love Tess, and I love Vern,” referring to Tess’ husband of 22 years, Vernon Kay, whom stars alongside Michelle on Radio 2.
Michelle continued: “I think they’re a beautiful couple, and I enjoy them both, and I get to work with Vern. I love and admire both of them.”
‘I love them both. I call them both friends. I absolutely adore them’
On Tess and Claudia’s shock decision to leave Strictly, Michelle said: “They’re part of the fabric. Of course, it’s so sad to see them go, but I understand the need to move on as well. I totally understand why, but it’s definitely, it won’t be the same, it’ll be different, it won’t be the same without them, but they’ll be onto other things.”
Michelle and Mazz
Michelle’s new, aforementioned show, Sea Witch, written by Kristopher Russell and Michael David Glover, will see her take to the stage as Tante Hansa, the no-nonsense auntie of leading lady, Evie, played by star of the stage, Natalie May Paris, alongside Michelle’s close friend and fellow West End royalty, Mazz Murray.
“One of the main reasons I did it was to work with Mazz cause she’s a friend, and we have always wanted to do something together, Michelle explained. “I think we will continue to want to do something together because we love working together. With that said, it’s an honour to be amongst these incredibly talented kids. To be able to take the stage with all of these people who feel the exact same way about it as I do is a gift, not to be taken for granted.”
© Getty ImagesLove wins
With it being LGBT History Month, we couldn’t let the American TV star go without asking her about her bond with the community, which, Michelle says, as a mother of a queer child, couldn’t be more essential to her world.
“My bond with the community is that it’s the place where I feel like I belong, and you know, I’ve always kind of shown that that’s always been who I am. It’s what I’m here to do. It’s the community I feel at home with. It’s why I do what I do. I have a queer child. I’m a parent to a queer child who, I want this world to be a better place for, for everybody, for all of humanity, and I guess the message for queer people and, and children in particular, but all queer people, is that they do have a place where they belong and don’t let anybody tell them differently.”
Major new musical, Sea Witch, will receive its world premiere at London’s prestigious Theatre Royal Drury Lane with special performances on Sunday 1 March 2026 at 3 pm and 7.30 pm. Tickets are now on sale here.
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