The Fabulous Russella (photo courtesy of saulphotography.co.uk)
“A Big Issue seller once came up to me and offered me £20 to show him a good time. I wasn’t sure if that was a good offer, so I didn’t know whether to be flattered or not.“
Inspired by America’s Next Top Model, Russella hosts the second series of her hugely popular London’s Next Top Tranny. We caught up with her this week to chat about her career, pancakes and the grand final.
Starting her drag career four years ago, Rusella began as a Tranny Tarot reader - something that’s still a popular part of her repetoire even after the success of London’s Next Top Tranny and The Russella Show. “I’m just a one-hit wonder, what can I say?” She laughs.
A year ago, Russella decided to quit the drag scene and indulge in her ‘dream job’ of gardening, but has marked her return to the drag world with this year’s London’s Next Top Tranny. “Maybe i’d had too much therapy. I wasn’t out of drag for very long – I’ve got bills to pay.”
This Thursday is the final of London’s Next Top Tranny 2010, and promises to be a most grande finale indeed, with Paloma Faith and Boy George both rumoured to be judging the Tranny finalists. AAfter battling their way through the heats, Russella is going to have the hopeful trannies recreating the George Michael Supermodels video, and she’s also threatening a bug-eating contest, a la I’m A Tranny, Get Me Out Of Here.
Danger Fondue? Probably not.
What next? More Tranny Tarot? Another run of The Russella Show has been rumoured at the RVT, but Russella has her eyes on a different prize – declaring herself too trashy for a fashion label (trashion?) or a fragrance (“No matter how glamorous I try to be, I always end up back at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club“), Russella thinks endorsing a range of wines is the way forward “I could be the face of Lambrini.”
“Maybe next should be StreetMate with Russella. Or Tranny Blind Date. I don’t come across well on camera. I think I was a bit wooden on The Weakest Link.“
You can follow Russella on Twitter (@RussellaFab) and Facebook (“I’ve got about 2500 facebook friends, I know about 5 of them…”) and of course tomorrow is Grand Final of London’s Next Top Tranny at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club – come on down for about 9pm.
About the Author
Subscribe with iTunes
[...] back for Shoreditch Unbound ShareTweet Known to many as the creative, chaotic force behind London’s Next Top Tranny, the Fabulous Russella is back to wreak havoc as part of the Shoreditch Unboud creative [...]