The sister of James Lee Williams, better known as The Vivienne, says her family only learned of the drag performer’s battle with ketamine addiction after watching Drag Race UK.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Chanel Williams, 35, says James had kept the struggle – including being hospitalised because of the drug – a secret from the family “to protect them”.

The 32-year-old died in January, with the family later announcing the cause of death as a cardiac arrest caused by taking ketamine.

Chanel says her brother had “a really long period of sobriety” before relapsing, something she says the family only discovered after James’s death.

“A big thing for me now is, had I asked the questions or just looked for the signs, would the outcome be different?” she says.

The Vivienne was praised for speaking openly about ketamine abuse and the struggle of becoming sober while appearing on Drag Race UK, which aired in 2019.

Chanel is now hoping to continue that legacy by campaigning to encourage people to talk openly about substance abuse.

She believes the stigma around addiction, and her brother’s successful career on stage and TV, meant James didn’t seek professional help.

“He’d spoken openly on Drag Race about the battles he’d had with addiction, and he’d come through the other side of that,” she says.

“He was at the height of everything he was doing and I think because he’d said it in such a open platform, it’s really difficult to come back and say you’re struggling again.”

Chanel says she’s concerned about the rise in young people taking ketamine, which she believes is in part because the drug is cheap and easily accessible.

James’s body was found in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, on 5 January.

Police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, and a post-mortem examination revealed an “unnatural cause of death.”

A full inquest is scheduled for June 30. But in March, the family told BBC News that the star died from cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine.

Since making the announcement, they’ve been working with substance abuse charity Adferiad to raise awareness and tackle stigma around the drug, something Chanel says is an “important step” in those facing addiction.

“It’s hard for me because I think if that stigma wasn’t there, would my brother have sought the help he needed?” she says.

“To think that if we’d known, or if he’d have felt able to talk and really reach out for the help that was needed, the outcome could’ve been different.

“That’s why we’ve shared James’s story.”

Chanel and her family are also campaigning for the government to re-classify ketamine from its current status as a Class B drug to Class A, which would put it in the same category as heroin and cocaine.

“There’s a portion of younger people that maybe look at that classification and think it’s less harmful than other drugs,” she says.

“But it’s not just about reclassification […] it needs to include education, police, health, to really raise awareness. We need a strategy around drug usage and drug deaths in the UK.”

The UK government is currently seeking experts’ advice on the re-classification of ketamine, with Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson writing to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) expressing concern over the rise in young people taking the drug.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Our thoughts are with James’s family and friends, and all those affected by this tragic death, which has sadly reinforced once again the serious dangers of taking ketamine.

“We will not hesitate to act when the ACMD reports back, and in the meantime, we will continue to work across health, policing and wider public services to drive down drug use and stop those who profit from its supply.”

Chanel said it had been difficult to share the information about how James had passed away but that the family “talked about what we can do”.

“The Vivienne left a legacy as a trailblazing icon and this, I feel, is James’s legacy. To help other people,” she says.

“If I can help one family to not feel what we are feeling, then it’s all worth it.”

You can see the full interview with The Vivienne’s sister Chanel on BBC Newsnight at 10:30 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.

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