Michelle Visage played a behind-the-scenes role helping Phillip Schofield as he came out as gay
Phillip Schofield and Michelle Visage struck up a friendship after he came out (Jeff Spicer/Getty)
Michelle Visage reached out to Phillip Schofield after his momentous coming out to make sure he was “mentally OK”.
The Drag Race legend told the Daily Star that she quickly developed a friendship with the popular television host after he told the world that he was gay in February, aged 57.
Visage said she is in constant contact with Schofield via WhatsApp after she checked in to make sure he was OK after he came out publicly.
“I found what he did very brave because no matter how he would live his life it would be in the public eye, I didn’t want him to feel ostracised or outcast,” Visage said.
“I felt this air of everybody attacking rather than celebrating.
“I know it’s not an easy thing to do in your older years rather than being a teenager, and it’s not easy then either.
“It’s never easy, but being in the public eye amplified it 10 times.”
She continued: “I do talk to him quite a bit, we WhatsApp each other. We’re very tech forward.
“And once everything in life returns to normal and I’m back there we will definitely do something together.
“We absolutely will get back together.”
Phillip Schofield praised Michelle Visage as ‘really kind’
Schofield opened up about his friendship with Visage in October, telling Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast that she lent her support when he came out as gay.
Schofield explained: “Before we all got locked down [due to coronavirus], I had lunch with Michelle Visage… she’s one of those really kind, compassionate people, and I’ve known her on and off the telly, and she was one of those people that messaged me… the most amazing people messaged me.
“She said: ‘Right, I’m going to take you out for coffee, we’ve got to talk and I want to make sure you’re okay.’ That’s what a lot of people have said: ‘Are you OK, are you sure you’re OK?’
“We went out, and I said: ‘I feel like I’ve joined a club, but I don’t know whether I’ve got the right credentials. I don’t know. Can I put a rainbow after stuff that I’ve said?’
“And she said: ‘Of course you can!’ I said: ‘I don’t know what I can and can’t do.’
“She said: ‘You’re beating yourself up for no reason, welcome to the club. And what’s more, you have made a massive difference to people who also didn’t realise that they perhaps could have membership to that club.'”
