Strictly Come Dancing’s first drag queen Tayce has said she has seen an “overwhelmingly positive” response to being named in the cast for the show’s Christmas special.
The festive edition of the BBC dancing show will see six celebrities perform Christmas-themed routines as they compete to be named Strictly Christmas Champion, with a guest performance of the Spice Girls hit 2 Become 1 by Emma Bunton.
Speaking about her appearance on the show, the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star said: “It’s such an honour to be part of this amazing and highly popular show, pushing the envelope and breaking boundaries as the first drag queen to appear on it.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, though there’s also been some negativity from trolls, but that’s nothing I can’t handle.”
The 30-year-old, who will be partnered by Kai Widdrington on the show, was a finalist in series two of the drag-based reality series and has even released a rap single in Swagzilla. She is also the child of former Wham! bass player Roger Radix.
She added: “Kai is amazing and such an attentive teacher, we also get on extremely well which is a bonus and adds to such great connection when dancing together.”
Despite Strictly never having a drag artist as a contestant, actor Layton Williams performed in drag as Betty Rizzo from the musical Grease with professional partner Nikita Kuzmin to the song There Are Worse Things I Could Do, during the show’s 2023 series.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK judge Michelle Visage also appeared on Strictly in 2019, where she was partnered with Giovanni Pernice and was the eighth celebrity to be eliminated.
Tayce will be joined on the show by television personality and former racing driver Billy Monger, who had both of his legs amputated following a crash in 2017.
Speaking about why he joined the cast, the 25-year-old said: “I’m still thinking, why did I? Because it’s so different to what I’m used to.
“It took a little bit of convincing.
“Part of the reason is just to do something very different off the back of recently doing the Ironman challenge for Comic Relief which has taken up the last year of my life and been very regimented, very disciplined.
“I thought it’d be nice to do something a little bit more creative.”
Radio presenter Vogue Williams will also join the Christmas cast despite claiming she is not able to dance.
The 39-year-old said: “I said yes because it’s just so fun.
“It’s such a fun, brilliant show. I think if you’re asked to do something where you’re able to learn a skill, it’s really cool. You get a professional dancer teaching you how to dance and you’re getting to go out in an amazing costume.
“Every single part of it, it’s just so exciting to me. I love the idea of learning how to dance, especially because I’m not really a good dancer at all.
“I like challenging myself and this is a very big challenge.
“I think the problem is people think I look like I can dance. I don’t know why they get that idea but I actually can’t. It’s a really fun thing to be able to try and learn.”
The rest of the Christmas cast is made up of comedian Josh Widdicombe, athlete and Gladiators star Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, and EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite.
The Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Christmas Day.
A documentary on the BBC dancing series called Strictly Come Dancing: 20 Fabulous Years will also air at 7pm on Saturday, December 21, on BBC One and iPlayer.
