Baga Chipz reveals how she fought to fit in at school
Watch: Baga Chipz and the Reality Check agony queens talk about hiding their sexuality at school
As a runner up on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Baga Chipz was confident, cocky and definitely very sure of herself, but it hasn’t always been like that for the drag queen.
Speaking on Reality Check, the former Celebrity Masterchef contestant opened up about her school days and the difficulties in being gay at her secondary school.
Read more: Baga Chipz shares her advice on how to break into the drag scene: “Be unique!”
“You just couldn't come out,” she revealed. “It was really scary time at my school and it was really, really rough.
“I know it sounds bad, but I don't know in other schools, but in my school specifically, you would get your head kicked in, literally, if you were different. When I was at school it was about surviving, you know what I mean?”
Listen: Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea and Vinegar Strokes talk about finding your tribe
To fit in, Chipz got tattoos “to look hard”, smoked and played up with the teachers. There was also one very bad fight, that left her with a scar on her forehead.
“I've got a little scar there - that was from fighting in school,” she told her fellow drag queen agony aunts, Vinegar Strokes and Blu Hydrangea.
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“I knocked the guy out, but I'm the one who got scarred for life, because I head-butted someone! I know it sounds rough. I have never, ever, ever, ever been physical since secondary school - it was basically survival.”
She continued: “This kid was literally banging my head off the blackboard, and I was like ‘Come on then!’ I would never act like that now, but me acting like that made me survive.”
While she doesn’t have fond memories of her time at school, Chipz believes going through all that stress has made her a stronger person now – which has helped her deal with trolls on social media.
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“Look at me now, I'm a bad b****!” she exclaimed. “It's made me stronger and that's why I have this thick skin.
“I've had people online call me all sorts and my mentality is they don't know. They're all a bunch of saddos!”
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Another thing Chipz hated at school were actual lessons, because they were so “boring”, but she said she now loves learning.
“Now I'm like, ‘Oh my God, I love it all!’,” she revealed. “I absolutely love learning. I love Countdown. I love history programmes.”
If you, or someone you know, is being bullied at school, you can call the National Bullying Helpline for free on 0300 323 0169.
Watch: Baga Chipz talks about faking confidence