Drag Race UK’s Tia Kofi tears up following elimination as she recalls lockdown struggle
"It was such a hard time."
By Will Stroude
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Tia Kofi may have come under fire for her runway looks during her time on series two, but the episode six eliminee certainly won the hearts of viewers during the course of her time on the series.
Tia’s dry humour and charismatic confessionals made her an instant favourite among fans of the franchise, but as she joins Attitude and Jodie Harsh for Tea Time in association with TAIMI, the LGBTQ Dating, Chat and Social Network App, the south London queen reveals the extent of the struggles she faced during her time in the workroom and during the seven-month lockdown break.
“I felt like it was kind of my moment,” says Tia when asked by Jodie Harsh whether she was “ready to go” by the end of the Snatch Game episode, which saw her lose out in a lipsync against three-time challenge winner and series frontrunner Lawrence Chaney.
Tia adds that despite lockdown seemingly giving the queens the opportunity to elevate their looks and performances, in fact the seven-month break in filming – during which many queens were unable to perform or find regular work – took a serious emotinoal toll on her which she struggled to overcome after returning to set.
“I mean, I absolutely dreamed, like, wanted to fight my way to the final”, explains, who released her debut single ‘Outside Iin’ on Friday (19 February).
“But it’s been hard. That seven-month break, as much as it’s TV, and everyone sees ‘seven-month break’, and they’re like, ‘Well, why didn’t you put more rhinestones on it?’ Mama, did you watch the special? Veronica was in bed for 12 weeks!
“It was such a hard time. And we all have personal struggles and everything like that.
“So, with everything that I’d had going on during that time, coming back was already like, really trying to push through that barrier.
Tearing up, Tia continues: “And then as soon as I found out that Veronica wasn’t gonna be there… Just the like – oh, God, I feel like I’m getting emotional now actually.
“Like, the struggle was like so, so genuine. I don’t know why I’m feeling it right now. It was just really hard.
Image: BBC/World of Wonder/Guy Levy
“So I was, like, really trying to push through as much as I could. But as soon as Ru said, ‘Sashay away’ – in that moment I was like, ‘Okay, I can breathe again.’ And work out what my Wagamama order is gonna be.”
Viewers saw Tia switching her Snatch Game character from Shirley Bassey to Mel B at the last minute following feedback from Ru – a choice she admits she got wrong.
Asked if she regrets the decision, Tia replies: “Yeah, I do a bit”.
She goes on: “Just a lot of the decision-making was based on what Ru was saying. And in that moment, you know, we’ve all watched it before, we’ve watched season one where Ru was like, ‘Why are you doing David Attenborough?’
“And Sum Ting [Wong] was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna stick with it. I think it’s definitely the right decision.’ And you’re like, ‘No, that was a terrible decision!’
“So I was like, ‘Okay, I need to change it. Sticking with it didn’t work for the last one to get sent home on Snatch Game, so I’m going to change it up.’
“And I shouldn’t have – that was a terrible decision!”
Subscribe to Attitude on YouTube now to ensure you don’t miss your weekly dose of Tea Time in association with TAIMI.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK lands on BBC Three from 7pm every Thursday, available exclusively on BBC iPlayer.