Michelle Visage spoke candidly about spending lockdown with her husband David Case during her appearance on Tuesday’s edition of The One Show.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race judge, 52, joked that she felt there was ‘something wrong’ when the only time she had to herself was in the loo, as she insisted married couples ‘need their space’.
Reflecting on how divorce rates have gone up during the coronavirus crisis, and how parents are struggling to cope, she said: ‘We are not equipped to be doing all of this, we are not prepared.
‘When my moments of peace are in the loo, there’s something wrong!’ Michelle Visage joked about spending lockdown with husband David Case on Tuesday’s The One Show
‘And as married couples, yes of course we love one another, I’ve been with my husband for 24 years it doesn’t mean I have to be with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week, doing everything together.
‘We need our space, I think that’s what makes marriages work, when we have individuality and then come together as a couple.
‘And when you’re together all the time, there’s a lot of encroaching. When my good moments of peace were in the loo, there’s something wrong!’
Michelle has been happily married to David since 1997, and they share daughters Lillie, 20, and Lola, 18, together.
Candid: Michelle (pictured with David and daughters Lillie and Lola) said: ‘I’ve been with my husband for 24 years it doesn’t mean I have to be with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week’
Amusing: Michelle reflected, ‘When you’re together all the time, there’s a lot of encroaching. When my good moments of peace were in the loo, there’s something wrong!’
The former Strictly Come Dancing star is well known for her role as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race and it’s UK edition, which is set to return on January 14.
Asked if her comments to the queens have gotten ‘meaner’ over the years, Michelle insisted she tells them ‘what is needed.’
She explained: ‘I’m a mother, of course I got meaner over the years. No, I judge what is needed, what is fit for the situation.
‘If they are indignant or not learning or belligerent then I get tougher, if they are understanding and open then I’m kinder, it’s really about critiquing in the moment.
Honest: Reflecting on how divorce rates have gone up during the coronavirus crisis, she added: ‘We need our space, I think that’s what makes marriages work’
Happy couple: Michelle (pictured with David before they tied the knot) has been happily married to David since 1997
‘It’s not personal, I don’t know them, I haven’t met them, I’ve not spent them, I’m literally critiquing the brief they were given.
‘Did they do it well? Are they listening? Are they open? Same way I parent my kids, I don’t know if that’s good or bad.’
Dawn French, Natalie Cassidy, Maya Jama and Jessie Ware are set to appear on the star-studded guest line-up for RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s second series.
The foursome join Elizabeth Hurley, Sheridan Smith, Lorraine Kelly, MNEK and Jourdan Dunn on the show, which showcases the country’s most sensational drag queens in a bid to be crowned the UK’s next Drag Race Superstar.
Judge: Michelle is well known for her role as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race and it’s UK edition, and she said of critiquing the queens: ‘I judge what is needed, what is fit for the situation’
Line-up: (L-R) Tayce, A’Whora, Ellie Diamond, Asttina Mandella, Joe Black, Cherry Valentine, Tia Kofi, Ginny Lemon, Veronica Green, Sister Sister, Bimini Bon Boulash and Lawrence Chaney are competing on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series two
EastEnders icon Natalie, 37, will be making a cameo alongside DJ Jodie Harsh, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Raven and choreographer Jay Revell.
In the running for the coveted title are Tayce, Joe Black, A’Whora, Tia Kofi, Ellie Diamond, Sister Sister, Veronica Green, Bimini Bon Boulash, Ginny Lemon, Asttina Mandella, Cherry Valentine, and Lawrence Cheney.
This upcoming edition will see the queens compete in weekly challenges, where their lip syncing, fashion sense, sewing, humour, singing, make-up, acting and dancing will be put to the test for ten weeks.
Following the franchise’s mantra, the group will be assessed on their Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent, before the bottom two queens will be asked to lip sync to save their position in the competition.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK series two: Meet the 12 new queens
Name: Lawrence Chaney
Age: 23
Location: Glasgow
Who are you? I’m from Glasgow and every single stereotype that you are thinking right now about a Scottish person is, is true for me! I love Irn-Bru, and a caramel wafer. I’m almost the Austin Powers ‘fat bastard’ of drag! I think of my Scottishness as an asset. I am definitely very proud to be Scottish and Glaswegian.
Name: Bimini Bon Boulash
Age: 26
Location: London (via Norfolk)
Who are you? I have a degree in journalism, and I have done a lot of social activism, which is something I’d like to pursue further. I invented veganism about seven years ago…haha! No, I’ve been vegan for about seven years. I love yoga, and I’ve never been healthier.
Name: Cherry Valentine
Age: 26
Location: Darlington
Who are you? Cherry Valentine is everything. She is glamour, she is a club kid, she’s dark, she’s gothic, she’s a dancer, she’s flippy. Look at me, I am a queen.
Name: Ginny Lemon
Age: 31
Location: Worcestershire
Who are you? I’m basically a drag troll. I’m the hairiest woman in show-business! I’m the only nonbinary drag queen in the UK…with a sense of humour! I don’t do traditional drag; I am a character. My look is a 90’s daytime TV presenter. I wear my face which suits me. For me, it’s not about makeup. It’s all about the performance.
Name: Joe Black
Age: 30
Location: Brighton (Portsmouth)
Who are you? I come from the world of cabaret so it’s all ostrich feathers, glitter and burlesque. What a lovely place to come from. Oh, and I am the first person from Drag Race to hail from Brighton.
Name: Tia Kofi
Age: 30
Location: London (via Essex and Nottingham)
Who are you? Originally from Essex, I am now the queen of Clapham. My name, Tia Kofi is a very camp and very British – Tea or Coffee darling? It’s very me, and at the very least, it’s memorable! I’m a mashup of the drag styles. I love comedy, camp, old school, contemporary, and cultural references. As there aren’t a huge number of POC queens on the scene, I’ll often throw in something from my Nigerian heritage too. I’m also a geek. One day I might be a character from Dr Who, and I love channelling a bit of Star Trek. My drag is a melting pot!
Name: Veronica Green
Age: 34
Location: London (Via Rochdale)
Who are you? When I was a little boy, my brother and I used to make our own comic books, and when our baby sister, Veronica, came along we were so jealous that we created a supervillain in our comic books and called her Veronica Green! Unwittingly, my sister’s birth sparked off my drag persona! She’s going to be mortified at all of this – I stole her prom dress and everything.
Name: Sister Sister
Age: 32
Location: Liverpool
Who are you? I’m from Liverpool where the drag scene is incredibly varied. We have the grand high mistress, Lily Savage, who paved the way for drag queens everywhere, God bless her! You have the gorgeous queens of drag town, like angels from a high, then you have the grungy queer scene who like to get down dark and dirty, and throw condiments, and then you have me! I think I fit in to the middle of lots of different worlds. I’ve always had a strong aesthetic and I’ve always had a strong sense of what I think is funny and when you put those things together: it looks, and sounds like me.
Name: Tayce
Age: 26
Location: London (Via Newport, Wales)
Who are you? I’m from the Welsh lands of Newport. Newport can be a bit grey, dingy and so I just love to bring a bit of colour to the world. Since I was born, I have been prancing around in little skirts and wigs. I’ve always been full of life and energy. I’ve always got a smile on my face and I have been wearing crazy looks from day dot.
Name: Ellie Diamond
Age: 21
Location: Dundee
Who are you? I’m 6ft 4 out of heels, and in drag, I love to go even taller. I like the biggest wigs, heels, outfits, lashes, makeup and ass. I would describe my drag as a cartoon character that has come to life. If you were to search online for a photo of drag queen, then a picture of me would come up.
Name: Asttina Mandella
Age: 27
Location: London
Who are you? I am known for giving very extravagant MTV style performances. I have up to twelve dancers with a big concept show. There are lights, and pyrotechnics and extravagance. It’s very interactive, sometimes with a bit of comedy. I have been dancing since I was tiny, and I have been dancing professionally since I was 20 years old. I am trained in ballet, tap, contemporary, Latin, hip hop, funk and street and it’s all in my show. I have worked with Little Mix, Pussycat Dolls, Melanie C, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Fleur East, Kayne West at the Brits. Now it’s my time to be on the poster and get the headlines. I can’t wait.
Name: A’Whora
Age: 23
Location: London (Via Nottinghamshire)
Who are you? I’m from Nottinghamshire originally. I now live and work in London, but I’m still Northern as Hell. I’m a fashion designer and A’Whora is my muse, best friend and alter ego. She is well known as a fashion queen, but I’m here to prove she’s so much more than that. She is different to anyone you will ever meet. She is striking, she has presence, and you will never see her in a High Street dress. I’m gagging at the thought!