Exclusive:
Dancing on Ice star Colin Grafton reveals Holly Willoughby’s kind gesture after she learned of the sudden death of his former skating partner and close friend, The Vivienne
Professional skater Colin Grafton reached the final with The Vivienne during his first series of Dancing on Ice back in 2023, and says the two formed an incredibly close friendship. The RuPaul’s Drag Race star passed away suddenly in January, and American skater Colin has opened up about learning of their death – and the support he received from his co-stars, including Holly Willoughby in the aftermath.
“She taught me so much about myself and life,” he told OK!. “When you go through something as strenuous and as history-making as we did, it creates a special bond that you can never repeat. It was so special on every level.” Colin and The Vivienne reached the final of the ITV competition in 2023, finishing up in third place. Colin paid tribute to his late friend on the most recent series, choosing to wear one The Vivienne’s outfits from their own time on the show.
Opening up about returning to the rink following the news of The Vivienne’s death, which broke on January 5, Colin said his co-stars provided invaluable support. To be honest, it’s been very difficult. I was out to dinner with Mollie [Pearce, from Traitors] and her family when I found out, and I was in shock.
“It was two days before the press launch of the show and my family are in the States and were thinking of flying over, but I was lucky as I was surrounded by an incredible group of Dancing On Ice pros who took care of me. Holly was so lovely to me and she personally came up to me and asked me how I was doing about everything that happened at the beginning. It was really touching.”
The Vivienne, whose real name was James Lee Williams, became an icon after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 and tributes poured in from the world of showbiz following their sudden death. An official statement released following the 32 year old’s passing read: “James was an incredibly loved, warm- hearted and amazing person.
“Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career. We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve.”
An inquest was opened into their death on 12 February at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington, and the coroner heard how the much-loved star was found dead in the bathroom of their home near Chester. After citing a post-mortem examination that revealed an “unnatural cause of death”, area coroner Victoria Davies adjourned the inquest until 30 June.
* Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
