BELFAST drag queen Blu Hydrangea says she is "happy and proud" of her time on reality TV contest RuPaul's Drag Race UK.
The 23-year-old became the sixth drag queen to be eliminated from the show in the latest episode, aired last night on BBC Three.
The search for the "next drag superstar" has been a hit with online audiences and has already been commissioned for a second series.
Blu Hydrangea, whose real name is Josh Cargill, is a make-up artist and performs in Belfast's LGBT scene.
She described her involvement in the show as "life changing" and said she was "happy and proud to have come fifth".
"I look back on my time on the show with such fondness but at the time of filming it was the scariest thing I have ever done for myself," she said.
"I made lifelong friends, I improved my craft but most of all I learnt just to be my authentic self and people will love me no matter what."
During the show, Blu spoke to other contestants about same-sex marriage remaining outlawed in Northern Ireland.
Westminster legislation came into force last month which paved the way for same-sex marriage to be legalised, with the north's first same-sex weddings due in February 2020.
RuPaul, the show's host and head judge, said to Blu as she exited the contest: "You've made me and Northern Ireland very proud."
The original US version of Drag Race has been a global success and has won a string of Emmys.
Celebrity guest judges for the BBC series have included Maisie Williams, Cheryl and Andrew Garfield, while Graham Norton and Alan Carr have been on rotating judging duties.
