Dundee drag queen Ellie Diamond has paid tribute to fellow RuPaul contestant Cherry Valentine following her death at the age of 28.
The pair appeared together on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, which aired last year.
The family of Cherry – whose off-stage name was George Ward – announced the star’s death on Friday morning.
They described the death as a “profound shock” and asked for “patience and prayers” from fans.
Ellie Diamond: ‘Cherry will be missed’
Ellie opened up about her reaction to the death during the unveiling of her new exhibition at McManus Galleries on the same day.
She said: “I don’t really know how to say anything.
“It’s surreal that it happened to a sister of mine who we all really loved and looked to for a lot of light in dark times.
“She never didn’t have a smile on her face or a laugh coming out of that mouth – and her make-up was always stunning.
“Her costumes were always just so put together and so polished.
“She will be missed, absolutely.
“It’s something that we’re all still trying to figure out and come to terms with.”
Cherry came from a family of Travellers, and was born in the English town of Darlington.
She appeared alongside Ellie in the first two episodes before being sent home.
Dundonian Drag Race star passed on her best wishes to Cherry’s family and those who cared about her.
She said: “You need to just send love and hope and a sense that things will get better.
“It’s hard, it’s an unfortunate thing.
“We all experience it at one point in our life, whether it’s with our mum or our dad or our siblings or whoever, but it’s a shame that it had to happen.”
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