Man pleads guilty over McDonald’s attack on Drag Race winner, The Vivienne

A man has pleaded guilty to assaulting Drag Race winner The Vivienne.

Alan Whitfield, 50, of Tom Mann Close, Everton, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (5 September), and pleaded guilty to one charge of assault by beating.

Prosecutor Andy Page claimed the attack was fuelled by “homophobic hatred”, but defence lawyer, Richard Darby, refuted this, saying it only took place after The Vivienne mocked Whitfield’s facial scars, according to the Liverpool Echo.

A hearing will take place on 1 December to determine the full nature of the assault, and which will review CCTV from McDonald’s, the 999 call and evidence given by The Vivienne, whose real name is James Lee Williams.

The incident took place on 16 June in a McDonald’s inside Edge Lane Retail Park, in Liverpool. Whitfield punched the celebrity in the face before running away.

At the time, The Vivienne shared the experience on social media. “First time I’ve never retaliated in a fight because I’m not gonna punch somebody in front of kids and women,” she said.

The Vivienne is best known for winning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 and later appearing on All Stars 7. Since then, she has featured in BBC’s This Is Going To Hurt and reality competition Dancing On Ice, as well as remaining a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights globally.

The incident was described as a “shocking attack” by DI Alan Nuttall.

Speaking on ITV’s This Morning last month, The Vivienne recalled the assault and opened up about the repercussions.

“It was in broad daylight, I wasn’t in drag, I was getting a burger and what happened, happened, but the police were fantastic,” she said.

“It did kinda shake me up a little bit because I’ve always, from a young age, been so confident and didn’t care what anyone thought. 

“Even after the attack, I was like: ‘Oh it’s fine, I’ve dealt with this for years’, but then getting on a train and hiding round the corner.”