The Vivienne on G-A-Y Heaven bomb scare: ‘It’s made me rethink what I post on social’
EXCLUSIVE: "The police went into the building and it could potentially have been the end of their lives - hats off to them," says Viv.
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Attitude/Twitter/@JeremyJoseph
The Vivienne has described being caught up in a terrifying bomb scare hoax in London’s Heaven nightclub yesterday afternoon, saying: “It’s made me rethink what I post on social media.”
Before the incident, the RuDrag Race UK SE1 winner had posted on Instagram about rehearsing for her new show Drag Queens of Pop with fellow RPDR queens Tia Kofi and Veronica Green at the iconic LGBTQ venue.
Specialist officers were then deployed after police received a call about a bomb at the premises, known for beloved club nights like G-A-Y.
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The call turned out to be a hoax, “but it must have cost the government, the police hundreds of thousands of pounds,” The Vivienne told Attitude.
“There were horses, sniffer dogs, bomb squads”
Detailing the experience, the star told us: “We were in Heaven, excited to get back on stage, rehearsing. Suddenly, the police ran in. I was thinking, ‘Oh god, we got a noise complaint! This is all we need!’
“Then they said we had to evacuate. We got up the steps and they were evacuating everywhere else as well. There were horses, sniffer dogs, bomb squads. Then we found out there had been a phone call to the police saying there was a bomb in Heaven. It was bizarre – I’ve never been in that sort of situation. We didn’t know how to react, whether it was a hoax or real.
“The police have said ‘this could be a targeted attack’ because we posted [on social media]. That was the scary part. We didn’t know whether it was homophobically motivated. It’s made me rethink what I post on social media.”
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Saying it was reassuring having Tia and Veronica with her, Viv added: “We’ve always got each other’s backs, having lived the shared experience of Drag Race. My husband was there, and he was amazing. The police were amazing. People can say what they want about the police, but they went into the building and it could potentially have been the end of their lives. Hats off to them.”
Viv added that she hasn’t received any updates on the investigation yet and that she and the girls will now be rehearsing from a “secret location.”
On a lighter note, Viv teased Drag Queens of Pop, telling us: “It’s the 17, 18 and 19 of May at the Vaudeville Theatre. The three of us that are in it, and Shania Pain, we’ve all got our own music out. So we wanted to do something that’s not your typical drag show. It’s all live singing. We’ll be bringing Girls Aloud back, a bit of Little Mix, Spice Girls.”
Anyone with information about the incident who has not already spoken to the police should call 101 providing the reference CAD3901/03MAY. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, by calling 0800 555 111.
Attitude has approached Heaven nightclub and G-A-Y boss Jeremy Joseph for comment.
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