The Celebrity MasterChef finalist shed a staggering 4st since she was last on telly
After numerous attempts with diets and exercise regimes, drag queen Kitty Scott-Claus has finally unlocked the secret to shedding weight. In just one year, she’s lost close to eight stone, over 40kg, with a transformation so dramatic it sparked speculation about the use of weight loss medications.
However, the 33 year old star has dismissed these rumours, and credits her transformation to a single pivotal change after years of trial and error. Speaking to Reach, she revealed: “Doing both at the same time, that’s been the winning category for me.
“For years, I was like; ‘I’m on a diet… I’m on a diet… I’ve got a PT…’ but I would never do them together at the same time so it would never really work out. I would train so hard, but I wouldn’t change my diet. Or I’ve done a diet, and not changed my exercise plan.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race alum currently has an intense fitness regimen as she prepares for the London Marathon. Her weekly routine includes three running sessions, totalling up to 30 miles a week, daily gym and swimming, all while continuing her workouts with personal trainer Monty Simmons.
For others looking to lose weight, Kitty advises not starting with such intensity. At the beginning of her own weight loss journey, she only went to gym twice a week, which eventually gave her the confidence to start consistently going three times a week, then four and so on: “Making baby steps that are sustainable and achievable to do on the daily. The little things like increasing your step count, being more mindful (about eating).
“Find an exercise that works for you and that you enjoy. I love swimming, so I go swimming every day and I don’t feel like I’m exercising, that’s a treat. Seeing exercise as fun and not just like a chore, that’s like a big shift in your head, because then it becomes something you look forward to. The whole weight loss thing is, as annoying as it is, is literally just diet and exercise.”
Kitty personally enjoys working with resistance bands in the gym, has just cracked the secret to squat form and still indulges in the occasional pudding. However, she highly recommends “a rice cracker with peanut butter, if you’re feeling really fancy, put a couple of dates on there too” for a quick snack.
For those in the London area, if you keep an ear out you might catch Kitty on one of her training runs ahead of the marathon: “If I’m doing a run by myself and I have my music on, I’ll just sing along. I won’t care if people are looking, I’m having a great time! Even by the end of 20 miles, I’m still like; ‘This is amazing’, because all I keep thinking about is who knew I could run 20 miles? That is so crazy, it is the (delusion) life.”
However, Kitty’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. As we meet in Regent’s Park for a daunting 5km run, or “an easy breezy jog” from Kitty’s perspective, she candidly admits she was the type to actively avoid physical activities in school.
This transformation hasn’t just altered her appearance but has also shaken her identity, “really changed my drag” and brought with it a touch of body dysmorphia. She reflected: “I was always ‘the bigger one’ throughout all of drama school, I was always the fat, funny friend.
“That was how I saw myself and I never saw it as a possibility to be slimmer. It’s taken a lot of getting used to. I don’t think I’ll ever fully get used to it after 32 years of being the bigger one, to all of a sudden not be. When I was bigger, I loved my body. I loved my curves and my shape, and I would show that off and I’d be so proud of it…To love a different body, you know, it’s adapting to the changes…This is wild, but I like it.”
She also never would have labelled herself a runner before last year’s London Marathon where she was challenged by Heaven nightclub owner Jeremy Joseph to actually run it instead of just watching from the side-lines. She recalled: “I’m a very ‘yes and’ person, maybe it’s the years of drama school, but I was, like; ‘Yeah, okay, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?’
“Didn’t really think much about it, and then here we are a year later, nearly ready to run the marathon. I think it’s proven that anyone can do it. Anyone can run. I can be anywhere in the world, as long as I’ve got my running shoes, I can go for a run.”
Kitty also credited her stint on Celebrity MasterChef for changing her approach to cooking and diet: “(Before) I would cook, but I would never really think about it or I would cook only out of necessity. Now, after doing MasterChef, I cook because I enjoy it.”
Kitty revealed that she found MasterChef more challenging than Drag Race, stating: “Pressure wise, I think MasterChef is the hardest thing I’ve ever done over Drag Race. I know how to do drag, but MasterChef… it’s like doing Drag Race, but then on top it’s like; ‘We’re cooking this week and you’re doing a Mary Berry recipe. Good luck!’ Wait, what?!”
On April 27, Kitty will be running the London Marathon in full drag alongside Jeremy, raising money for Sahir House in memory of the late Drag Race winner and patron The Vivienne. As well as Antidote London Friend, Switchboard LGBTQIA+, and Pancreatic Cancer UK, with a target of £50,000.