For Bones, becoming the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK was never part of the plan. Drag began as a way to connect, a way to feel seen, celebrated, and surrounded by queer joy. Now, after a season filled with personal breakthroughs, bold aesthetic choices, and a finale that left her questioning reality itself, Bones stands as the UK’s newest Drag Superstar.
In our exclusive interview, the newly crowned queen reflects on her humble beginnings, creative risks, a transformative season, and a future dedicated to revitalizing queer stages and pushing drag into bold, uncharted territory.
Congratulations on winning the title. How are you feeling right now in this moment?
It is starting to feel a bit more real, but I’m definitely not fully, yeah, it definitely still feels a little bit crazy.
Was there a moment during the finale or immediately after that hit you like, is this real life?
I think it was when they cut cameras at the end it was like, oh, okay, that actually did happen. It made me look back at everything and I was like, that really did just happen. It all feels like you’re living in a dream a little bit. I think while you’re there, you float through the whole experience a little bit. It’s only at the end where it cuts that you’re like, what? That was real. That did happen.
You said before that your drag origins go back about seven years. What first drew you to drag and was there a defining moment when you realized that this was the path for you?
Getting into it…I definitely craved queer friendship, I think. It was something that I’d never really had growing up at home. I was in the sticks, not many queer people around me at all. So, moving to London and then going through university and blah, blah, I just wasn’t finding what I felt like I needed. That was definitely why I got into drag and then quite soon on, people started to recognize me for my work or I don’t even know, my personality, and as soon as you start getting some recognition, I was like, oh, okay. Maybe this is the right thing for me.
Looking back on that early period, what surprised you most about the journey you’ve had so far?
I never started drag with the goal of ever being on Drag Race. Really, it was always just a way of looking a bit cooler in a club and getting a bit of attention, maybe a free drink. It was always for a social aspect. And then, as my drag journey changed and we went through COVID, it was like, okay, maybe I need to start performing a bit more. Start making the money. Then it was like, oh, maybe I start performing now, and then I got my own show and then I started to speak on a regular performer and doing less of the social stuff. So I never once thought when I started drag that I’d end up on Drag Race at all. It was never really the goal. But God, I’m not complaining.
Now, your aesthetic, the show called it “witchy boho” and it’s been your signature look, how did that style evolve with you?
I’ve always been a massive movie buff, so I think when I first started drag, it was just taking the inspiration from the women in movies that I was drawn to. I loved Tim Burton growing up. I was a huge Coraline fan as well and also stuff like Star Wars. I was massively inspired by sci-fi as well. So, when I first started drag, I would pick someone and be like, okay, I want to look like them, so I’d go and buy the black robe or the long black dress or whatever, and it was just always what I’d been drawn to, I think, and then that’s helped put my styles together.
You exhibited a lot of style on the runway. From the first time you walked out. I’m like, she’s winning – and I loved your Ab Fab look. Did you have a favorite look that you did on the runway on this series?
I think my hometown, honestly. That’s my first runway. It was very much how I do drag as well. It was my granddad’s hat, it was my grandma’s cane, it was my dad’s tie. The jumper was from a charity shop, so it felt very much how I’ve always done drag. It’s always been a little bit of pieces from here and pieces from here to pull something together, so it felt important that this was my first my first thing to show to the world.
Looking back at the season, what do you feel was your biggest moment of growth, either creatively or personally?
I think it was two. The episode transition from Snatch Game to the makeover was definitely a lot of growth, but then I think the roast episode really proved to me that I just needed to believe myself a bit more. I think at the end, winning the roast and kind of ruminating on it that night was like, you know what? I can do this.
You survived multiple Maxi Challenge wins and you overcame some of your lip sync criticisms to take the crown. How does it feel to have proven yourself across those different challenges, including the Roast?
I felt like I unintentionally gave them the perfect story arc – and it really wasn’t intentional, I promise, I’d never planned to be in the bottom at all. But to firstly to win the girl group, it’s something that I do all the time. That is my drag. I do group work all the time with the girls, so to win that was so affirming, and I was like, okay, yeah. I’m being recognized for what I do. Then the makeover is obviously something that’s so close to my heart. But yeah, God, I never expected to do a Snatch Game, and I think if I did it again, I’d probably do just as bad [laughs].
Winning the show comes with a lot of visibility and expectations. Like what are your top priorities now, career-wise or personally as the UK’s next Drag Superstar?
It’s a little bit of just carrying on what I’m doing. The title really has confirmed to me that the people like what I’m doing, and there’s definitely some likes behind it. I plan to just give people some more fierce drag – and be doing it outside of Soho – and just bring some attention back to queer entertainment. It’s what we need for sure.
You’ve talked about using your cash prize to “step up everything”. What kind of projects or performances are you imagining for the near future for you?
I can’t give anything away…but we’ve got a girl group tour coming up and then we’ve got the season seven tour, which is happening next year. I’ve got some big ideas for that. But I’m always trying to push it, and I’ve got some great designers that I work with that are very happy to listen to my nonsense and tell me when it isn’t going to work. I like to just try and do something that’s not been done before – which is so hard with drag now because drag is so referential of it itself – but that’s the goal and that’s what I am going to try and do is just give the people something new to look at.
You’ve commented before about the decline of queer venues and how it impacts drag culture, which is also happening in the states. How does winning the season position you to respond to that reality, do you think?
If anything, I think especially for Soho, hopefully it will shine a bit of a light back onto the area because bars are closing left and center. You’ve got to start in one spot and then branch out, so hopefully winning with this “Queen of Soho” title will bring a lot of attention back to what we’re doing in Soho and what Soho drag is now and hopefully, it’ll spiral from there.
What do you hope audiences will take away from your drag and from your win, especially those who might be discovering drag for the first time?
I think the best thing I did on the show was to be authentic. I never tried to say that I could do something that I couldn’t do, and at the same time I was very confident in saying that I can do the things that I can do.
I think that is it, and I think that’s what everyone’s approach should be. Try to discover what is your direction? What is your final end goal with this? What do you want to put out to people? How are you entertaining people, whether it be social media or you’re singing or you’re dancing or you’re doing comedy? It’s like, what is your thing? Once you find it, run with it. Find the best version of yourself and work on yourself. Practice. It’s the only way that you ever achieve something.
If you could have given your younger self just starting out in drag one piece of advice, what would it be?
God, relax a bit. I used to get so stressed out about makeup. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing with makeup, but then I’d be annoyed at myself, but I didn’t know what I was doing with makeup, so I’m like, just enjoy it. Drag is to be enjoyed. It really is, and I can say that as eight years in now it’s so much more enjoyable allowing yourself to enjoy it. So just have fun with it for sure.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind as the winner of the season, within drag and even beyond?
That’s a crazy question, because I think back to the other winners and the legacies that they’ve had and there are some really, great, incredible names, so to be up there with them is just such a blessing. Like we’ve said, stuff is changing at the moment and it might not be for the best at the moment, but that always usually means that there’s a kick up after, and I’m really hoping that is part of my reign. I think I’ve got a lot of dedication to drag because I love drag and I love producing drag, and I love entertaining people. So, if anything, I hope to be at the forefront of the new push of drag back into the mainstream.
Relive Bones’ journey to the crown on season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, streaming now on WOW Presents Plus. Follow Bones on Instagram.
