La Voix on why drag belongs in family entertainment

La Voix has expressed gratitude that Strictly Come Dancing has provided a platform to show drag can be "wonderful entertainment".

The Buckinghamshire-based entertainer said the popular BBC Saturday night show had helped remind audiences that drag can be "good mainstream, safe, family friendly, tongue-in-cheek, winky comedy".

"A lot of younger people only know drag through Drag Race [but] of course it was around with Lily Savage, Dame Edna Everage and, gosh, Mrs Brown Boys," she said.

"It was very much the mainstream to have characters hosting game shows, panel shows, chat shows... people think that drag is new or it's a risk when it's actually one of the oldest art forms out there."

Originally from Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, La Voix rose to national prominence after reaching the live shows of Britain's Got Talent in 2014.

She returned to the spotlight last year, finishing as runner-up in the sixth series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

A seasoned live performer, La Voix is currently juggling a UK tour alongside her dance rehearsals for Strictly.

However, she said people still have misconceptions of what the art form is.

She explained: "I get people say 'Oh, I was going to come and see your show, but it's not really for me.' And I say: 'Well, how do you know it's not for you? You've never been'.

"They realise it's actually for everyone, because who doesn't like to laugh?"

The performer has not yet won over the Strictly judges — she received a total score of 19 for her jive in week two.

Her dance partner, Aljaž Škorjanec, had helped incorporate her signature humour into their routines, especially after seeing her perform her show in Manchester.

Now La Voix said she was ready to lean less on comedy as a "safety hook."

She explained: "We've got to do this really straight, really sincere, and really beautiful. And that's hard for me.

"I need to show a journey, that I'm versatile, I can do both. I think it would really be nice for the judges to see that I am taking the dancing seriously.

"I really want to do well in the competition."

La Voix believes drag belongs right at the heart of family entertainment and said she has been "swamped" with positive messages from viewers who had enjoyed her playful quips, especially those aimed at presenter Tess Daly.

She joked: "I've been lucky to be really embraced with nothing but warmth and happiness, and that's all I want. There's no ulterior motive — well, I mean, my own show would be nice, of course.

"I just want to play this absolutely as me — a female comedian on Strictly, and yeah, poor Tess is getting the brunt of it, but we're doing all right.

"I just want to do as well as I can in Strictly and to work with a burly bloke like Aljaž is a nice bonus."

Week 3 of this year's Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One at 18:05 on Saturday, and all episodes are available on the BBC iPlayer after broadcast.

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