The Vivienne to be honoured by RuPaul’s Drag Race stars at first-ever Metro Pride Awards

The Vivienne’s legacy will be honoured at Metro’s very first Pride Awards with a special performance

Late drag queen The Vivienne is set to be honoured in a special way at the first-ever Metro Pride Awards.

At The Grand Connaught Rooms in London on February 26, stars will come together for the glam ceremony hosted by beloved presenter Rylan Clark.

The likes of GK Barry, Jill Scott, Jonathan Bailey, and Ncuti Gatwa have been nominated for awards, while Mel B and James Corden are recognised for their allyship to the community.

Providing heartfelt entertainment on the night of the awards will be some of the UK’s most iconic drag performers, who will unite for a powerful tribute to honour the life and legacy of James Lee Williams, known as The Vivienne due to their love of the fashion designer.

The media personality and reality star died last month at the age of 32, sending shockwaves through the drag community as fellow queens and fans mourned their loss.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK favourites Tia Kofi, Baga Chipz, Danny Beard, Cheryl the Queen, and Michael Marouli will take to the stage at the Metro Pride Awards in a huge moment to mark The Vivienne’s extraordinary impact on LGBTQ+ culture.

The drag trailblazer died tragically last month (Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, will also receive a posthumous award at the ceremony this month (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)

The event, held during LGBTQ+ History Month, will also see The Vivienne given a posthumous award recognising their groundbreaking contribution to drag, queer visibility, and advocacy.

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Simon Jones, a close friend and manager of The Vivienne, said: ‘The Vivienne was a trailblazer, a powerhouse, and a friend to so many.

‘This iconic performance will be a beautiful tribute by her best Drag Race sisters, filled with love and will reflect the dazzling energy that The Vivienne brought to every stage.’

Speaking ahead of the event, Metro’s Executive Editor, Richard Hartley-Parkinson, also shared: ‘This year’s ceremony will be an emotional yet uplifting occasion as fellow queens and fans come together to pay their respects and honour The Vivienne’s enduring legacy.’

The Vivienne’s funeral was held at the end of January with several famous faces in attendance, including Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall, Kim Woodburn, and Ian ‘H’ Watkins of Steps.

Danny Beard is among the iconic queens performing in memory of The Vivienne Tia Kofi will also join the posthumous celebration Michael Marouli completes a lineup of spectacular entertainers ready to honour The Vivienne’s legacy

Meanwhile, celebrities including Ariana Grande have shared tributes on social media in recent weeks, a testament to The Vivienne’s widespread fanbase and status among fans of drag.

The 2023 Dancing On Ice finalist initially rose to prominence in 2015 as the UK Drag Ambassador for the American series of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

They later competed and won the first UK series of the reality show in 2019 and competed again in the seventh series, which was an All-Stars edition in 2022.

In recent years, The Vivienne forged a successful music career and appeared on many TV shows from Celebrity Juice and The Great British Sewing Bee to This Morning and Emmerdale.

Their final appearance aired posthumously with a cameo in Liverpool-based ITV comedy G’wed, leaving viewers in floods of tears.

Beloved TV star Rylan Clark will host the Pride Awards (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) I’m A Celebrity’s GK Barry has been nominated for a gong (Picture: ITV) Little Mix pop star Jade Thirlwall has been recognised for her super allyship (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Elsewhere at the Metro Pride Awards, sponsored by Legal & General, we will shine a spotlight on brands and organisations that have shown a proven commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and LGBTQ+ rights within their sectors.

The prestigious event is set to be a defining moment in the showbiz calendar as LGBTQ+ personalities and supporters flock to the venue in the capital to toast winners and nominees.

As well as hosting the event, Rylan has been nominated for broadcaster of the year, alongside the likes of Nick Grimshaw, Scott Mills, and Sue Perkins.

Nominees for celebrity of the year include Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, Russell Tovey, Luke Evans, RuPaul, Edward Enninful, Andrew Scott, Cara Delevingne, and Graham Norton.

The likes of Lizzo and DJ Fat Tony have been nominated for music hero of the year, while Tom Daley and Dame Kelly Holmes have been shortlisted for sports hero.

Bridgerton actress Nicola Coughlan is among the list of star-studded nominees (Picture: PA Wire) Scott Mills is nominated in the broadcaster category (Picture: Sarah Jeynes/BBC) RuPaul is up for celebrity of the year (Picture: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

Baby Reindeer actress Jessica Gunning and Heartstopper’s Kit Connor have been nominated for the rising star award, as well as The Vivienne.

Amanda Holden has been nominated for inspirational ally along with Annie Mac and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Metro Pride Award winners will be decided by a mixture of public votes by Metro readers and a judging panel.

You can vote now at

Metro Pride Awards is headline sponsored by the UK insurance provider Legal & General and supported by RWInvest. The luxury travel company Destinology is also a supporting partner.

The full list of nominees for Metro Pride Awards 2025: Celebrity of the Year

Nicola Coughlan
Luke Evans
RuPaul
Russell Tovey
Jonathan Bailey
Edward Enninful
Andrew Scott
Cara Delevingne
Ncuti Gatwa
Graham Norton

Broadcaster of the Year

Rylan Clark
Jill Scott MBE
Nick Grimshaw
Scott Mills
Mobeen Azhar
Alex Scott
Robert Rinder
Dean McCullough
Riyadh Khalaf
Sue Perkins

Music Hero of the Year

DJ Fat Tony
Jodie Harsh
Lizzo
Olly Alexander
Jess Glynne
Jake Shears
Will Young
MNEK
Peggy Gou
Kehlani

Sports Hero of the Year

Tom Daley
Jake Daniels
Beth Mead
Carl Hester
Cindy Ngamba
Ralf Schumacher
Jack Laugher
Dame Kelly Holmes
Jess Carter
Lauren Hemp

LGBTQ+ Trailblazer

Seán McGirr
Mitchell Halliday
Ian Steed
Jay Birmingham
Dan Price
Alessandro Bucci
Suki Sandhu OBE
Simon Jones
Joëlle Rotsaert
Lexie Shaibu-Lenoir

Rising Star Award

Kit Connor
Yasmin Finney
The Vivienne
GK Barry
Tia Kofi
Jessica Gunning
Mawaan Rizwan
Phil Dunning
Cat Burns
Olly Shinder

Inspirational Ally

Melanie B
Sharleen Spiteri
James Corden
Annie Mac
John Bishop
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Tyrone Mings
Jade Thirlwall
Amanda Holden
Jennifer Saunders

Brand of the Year

Vodafone
Virgin Atlantic
JustEat
Arnold Clark
Tesco
British Airways
ASOS
Bentley
Netflix
Absolut Vodka

Marketing Campaign of the Year

Deliveroo – “The Open Kitchen”
The Romans x Millwall Romans Campaign
Disney – “The Power of Pride”
Uber Eats – “Serving Pride”
Adidas – “Love Unites”
McCann London and Clear Channel UK – “Fabruary”
JCDecaux UK – “Just Like Us” Partnership
Bentley – “Pride Car 2024”
Virgin Atlantic and Lucky Generals – “See the World Differently”
Open Media – #OpenAndProud

Grassroots or Charity Organisation of the Year

MindOut
AKT
Kaleidoscope Trust
Everton in the Community
BlkOut
Fighting With Pride
Just Like Us
Manchester Pride
LGBT Foundation
The National Lottery Heritage Fund

Best Breakthrough Business

Evri
Klarna
Cinch
Aer Lingus
BYOMA
Mildreds
Zymurgorium
Tonic Housing
Stonegate Group
Williams & Hirst
Matalan

Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility

Liverpool Football Club
KPMG
Asda
Nissan
Hogan Lovells
Network Rail
IKEA
Anthony Collins Solicitors
Three Mobile
Avanti West Coast

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Award

Create Fertility
MSB Solicitors
Burberry
Scottish Power
National Grid
United Utilities
Pinsent Masons
AXA
Chelsea Football Club
GSK

LGBTQ+ Network Group

Spire Healthcare Group – LGBTQ+ Colleague Network
Aer Lingus – ProudFlies
KPMG – Breathe
LGBT+@Sky
Scottish Power – In-Fuse
Proud@Shell
Vodafone – LGBT+ and Friends Network
Amazon – Glamazon
Pfizer – OPEN
Macquarie – Pride EMEA Employee Network

Business of the Year

Softcat
Virgin Atlantic
DHL
Macquarie
GSK
Farrer & Co
Irwin Mitchell
Shepherd and Wedderburn
Dentons
Wickes

Most Inclusive Employer

LV=
VISA
Xero
Aon
Moody’s
Linklaters
DHL
E.ON
Coty UKI
LSEG

LGBT+ Business Leader Of The Year

David Hynam, LV=
Elliot Barton, Tatti Lashes
Rick Jackson, DHL
Julia Hoggett, London Stock Exchange
Anna Deignan, The Premier League
Bruna Gil, LINKEDIN
Jaron Soh, Voda
Deon Pillay, Legal & General
Mitchell Halliday, Made By Mitchell

Business Ally

Emma Carey, MSB
Angela Ogilvie,  Linklaters
Lauryn Yuen, TikTok
Rebecca Short, Deutsche Bank
Jasmin Fox, EA
Ruth Rowan, Avanade 
Liz Kelly, St James’s Place
Michael Salter-Church, Openreach
Alan Holmes, Clyde and Co
Rachel Pears, RPC

Lifetime Achievement Award

Announced at the ceremony

Metro Global Recognition Award

Announced at the ceremony

Outstanding Contribution to LGBTQ+ LIfe

Announced at the ceremony