Drag Race champ Lawrence Chaney becomes first plus size queen to be crowned

Drag Race UK champion Lawrence Chaney says her win is a triumph for the gay community after she became the first ever plus size queen to be crowned.

Lawrence, 24, from Glasgow, grew up watching RuPaul’s international show that boasts 13 seasons in the US and two in the UK, but failed to see someone of her stature star in the competition.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Lawrence, who as a comedian queen would make reference to her body shape, said her winning the show finally proves someone of her physique can still be at the top of her drag game.

‘No plus size person had won’: Drag Race UK champion Lawrence Chaney says her win is a triumph for the gay community after she became the first ever plus size queen to be crowned 

She said: ‘I am very, very proud of my size. I just remember being that queen who watched Drag Race – and no offence to Drag Race or anything – but I would always love the fashion girls and the people that made it further in the competition, and that did just so happen to be the thinner, model types, Violet Chachki, Pearl, it would always be these glamorous girls.

‘But I didn’t see any plus size person on the show and no plus size person had won. For our community, the gay community and society in general, I think finally with my win we can say someone of that body type can still be a winner.

‘Do you not find it funny, when people talk about their weight and their body when they’re unconventionally attractive it’s always called ‘bravery’ but the thin models talking they’re not ‘brave’ for saying they look sexy, that is just what they are.

‘It’s always when someone plus size “oh they’re being so brave,” no – lets get rid of that, lets eliminate that as a whole thing. Lets have it be about talent and flaunting it and being unapologetically you.’

'Lets have it be about talent': Lawrence grew up watching RuPaul's show that boasts 13 seasons in the US and two in the UK but failed to see someone of her stature in the competition

‘Lets have it be about talent’: Lawrence grew up watching RuPaul’s show that boasts 13 seasons in the US and two in the UK but failed to see someone of her stature in the competition

'Someone of my body type can still be a winner':u00A0Lawrence said her winning the show finally proves someone of her physique can still be at the top of her drag game

‘Someone of my body type can still be a winner’: Lawrence said her winning the show finally proves someone of her physique can still be at the top of her drag game 

Lawrence first learned she had the ability to be funny after challenging school bullies by responding to their cruel remarks with witty one-liners. 

While growing up, Lawrence was subjected to physical bullying and says her mum regularly visited her school in the hope something would change.

But it was Lawrence that finally found a way to overcome the hate, and that soon became the winning formula to her drag act.   

She said: ‘I remember at school I would always doubt myself. I’m a very loud and talkative person now, being a drag queen for a while I’m used to trying to fill the dead air.

‘But I was the polar opposite at school. I would get tripped up in corridors and books thrown at me. My mum would have to go into the school once every two weeks or something and have to talk to the teachers, but they wouldn’t really do anything.

‘I had to channel a way to come back at these bullies, not physically but mentally.

'I would get books thrown at me': Lawrence first learned she had the ability to be funny after challenging school bullies by responding to their cruel remarks with witty one-liners

‘I would get books thrown at me’: Lawrence first learned she had the ability to be funny after challenging school bullies by responding to their cruel remarks with witty one-liners 

'I had to channel a way to come back': While growing up, Lawrence was subjected to physical bullying and says her mum regularly visited her school in the hope something would change

‘I had to channel a way to come back’: While growing up, Lawrence was subjected to physical bullying and says her mum regularly visited her school in the hope something would change 

‘I knew that the answer was not aggression and I knew humour always desensitises things, in the same way we can make jokes about things that are really traumatic life experiences, we can make fun of that and that’s our power.

‘I knew making fun of the bully in that situation and making fun of the way in which they were bullying me – I knew that held the power.

‘I remember finding the bullies as soon as I would say a one-liner back at them, they’d laugh and pat me on the shoulder and go “fair enough” and walk off – it was the weirdest situation.’  

Despite being crowned the winner of BBC’s Drag Race, which is judged by RuPaul, 60, Michelle Visage, 52, Graham Norton, 57, and Alan Carr, 44, the negativity hasn’t stopped for Lawrence.

Those who believe rival Bimini Bon Boulash, 27, deserved to win have attacked Lawrence online, with some even demanding a refund on their BBC license fee following the ‘disappointing’ result.

Speaking about the backlash, Lawrence said: ‘A lot of people are saying Bimini should have won.

'There will always be those people': Those who believe Bimini Bon Boulash deserved to win have attacked Lawrence online, with some even demanding a refund on their BBC license fee

‘There will always be those people’: Those who believe Bimini Bon Boulash deserved to win have attacked Lawrence online, with some even demanding a refund on their BBC license fee

‘I just find it very bizarre that initially in the first two episodes everyone said “Lawrence is clearly RuPaul’s favourite” and “this is terrible” and “it’s so obvious.”

‘Then suddenly Bimini became really favoured by Ru and they gained more wins but because she was everyone’s favourite, that was fine! It’s very interesting how that duality exists there.

‘As a fan of TV and of Drag Race everyone has a right to talk about their upset or disappointment or who should have won or should have gone home.

‘But with me I’m always doing it on a phone call to my girls, I’m like “oh have you seen this week’s episode? It’s juicy.” That’s my Whatsapp group stuff. I am posting about fart jokes on my social media, I’ve not got time for the haters!

‘There will always be those people and it’s about navigating your way through that. You’re not going to revolutionise folks’ way of thinking when it comes to trolling online, they’re going to do it.

‘Focusing too much on the perception of you in a competition on a reality show can be a slippery slope to bad things…’

'It's about navigating your way through that': Lawrence says she doesn't have time for haters and does her best to ignore the inevitable trolling that comes from being on a reality TV show

‘It’s about navigating your way through that’: Lawrence says she doesn’t have time for haters and does her best to ignore the inevitable trolling that comes from being on a reality TV show 

'So proud': The BBC series ended on Thursday night with Lawrenceu00A0Chaney crowned the winner, whileu00A0Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce and Ellie Diamond were runners-up

‘So proud’: The BBC series ended on Thursday night with Lawrence Chaney crowned the winner, while Bimini Bon Boulash, Tayce and Ellie Diamond were runners-up 

Lawrence deleted her Twitter account midway through the series following an argument with fellow finalist Ellie Diamond, 21.

The pair disagreed over Ellie tactically choosing the running order of a comedy show, which exposed the weaker queens. 

But some viewers used their row as an excuse to ridicule Lawrence over her size.

Lawrence explained: ‘I had an argument on Drag Race and got trolled on Twitter and I found it weird that almost every negative response said I was fat this, fat that, I found that a really interesting thing because what does me being fat have to do with it?

‘I’m fine with the mentions on Twitter, when people mention me because you just scroll off that page but it was when I was scrolling on the home screen and people who I follow – Lady Gaga and everyone else – it was when the negativity even spread to that page, I was like yikes!

‘People calling me fat… in this situation we’re talking about it was this argument with Ellie, nowhere was there any mention of me being fat. Ellie didn’t mention it and I didn’t mention it. There are many things we can make fun of each other for that aren’t our weight, so many!’

Family: The final of Drag Race UK was judged by RuPaul, Alan Carr, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton, after the series welcomed special guests throughout the competition

Family: The final of Drag Race UK was judged by RuPaul, Alan Carr, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton, after the series welcomed special guests throughout the competition