George Ward (30 November 1993 – 18 September 2022), better known by the stage name Cherry Valentine, was an English

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

and

mental health nurse A Mental Health Nurse (MHN) refers to a ''psychiatric nurse'' in the UK, who specialises in the care of patients with mental health issues. Background MHNs comprise approximately 12% of the total NHS Nursing workforce. In order to qualify as a MH ...

who is best known for competing in the second series of the television show ''

RuPaul's Drag Race UK ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. T ...

'' and for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

documentary '' Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud''.

Career

Ward, as his father had done, was expected to develop a career as a

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

. Ward was introduced to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

's drag scene while studying

mental health nursing Psychiatric nursing or mental health nursing is the appointed position of a nurse that specialises in mental health, and cares for people of all ages experiencing mental illnesses or distress. These include: neurodevelopmental disorders, schizoph ...

at the

University of Cumbria The University of Cumbria is a public university in Cumbria, with its headquarters in Carlisle and other major campuses in Lancaster, Ambleside, and London. It has roots extending back to the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, establis ...

. After considering several names, he chose the moniker "Cherry Valentine" for his drag

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

. Ward qualified as a mental health nurse in 2015 and began performing as Cherry Valentine in 2016 while still working as a nurse, working in children's psychiatric intensive care and with adults with

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is a neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unst ...

. In December 2020, Cherry Valentine was announced as one of twelve contestants in the second series of ''

''. In an interview for the show, she said working as a nurse "has put me in that right position where I'm able to understand people a bit more, and if you're a drag queen, you're working with people. By understanding people, you're going the extra mile". When filming for the show was halted during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Ward returned to work in

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

(NHS) to assist in COVID-19 relief efforts and the UK's

deployment of COVID-19 vaccines , 12.7billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 67.9 percent of the global population having received at least one dose. While 4.19million vaccines were then being administered daily, only 22.3 percent of people i ...

. Cherry Valentine was eliminated in the second episode in a challenge to

lip-sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

to the song "

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

" by

Elaine Paige Elaine Jill Paige (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professiona ...

from musical ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

'' (1981) against fellow contestant

Tayce Tayce Szura-Radix (born 28 May 1994) is a Welsh drag queen and model from Newport, Wales. She is best known for competing in the second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'', where she was placed as a runner-up. Career Tayce has professionally ...

. In "Queens on Lockdown", a special episode of the series that explores the contestants' lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cherry Valentine discussed returning to work in the NHS. Alongside fellow eliminated contestants

Joe Black Joseph Black (February 8, 1924 – May 17, 2002) was an American right-handed pitcher in Negro league and Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cincinnati Redlegs, and Washington Senators who became the first black pitcher to win a Wor ...

and

Asttina Mandella Aston Joshua (born 11 February 1993), better known by the stage name Asttina Mandella, is a British drag queen and dancer from East London. She is best known for competing on the second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'', where she came eleven ...

, she appeared in the fifth episode—the first to be filmed post-lockdown—"

The RuRuvision Song Contest "The RuRuvision Song Contest" is the fifth episode of the second series of the UK version of the American reality competition television series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which aired on BBC Three, on 11 February 2021. This is the first episode film ...

" for a chance to return to the competition and replace

Veronica Green Kevin Max Grogan, better known by the stage name Veronica Green, is a British drag performer most known for competing on the second and third series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK''. Career Prior to appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race, Green appeare ...

, who was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID. The remaining contestants, however, voted for Joe Black to return. Cherry Valentine made her final appearance on the series in the grand finale alongside the other eliminated contestants. In February 2022, Cherry Valentine, alongside the rest of the series's contestants, embarked on "''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'': The Official Tour".

Personal life and death

Ward grew up in an English Traveller community in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, in the

north-east of England In modern contexts Northumbria usually refers to the region of England between the Tees and Tweed, including the historic counties of Northumberland and Durham, but may also be taken to be synonymous with North East England. The area correspo ...

, and is the only drag queen of

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

heritage to appear on the ''Drag Race'' franchise. Discussing his background on ''Drag Race UK'', Ward said he grew up in a strict environment in which drag was not accepted and as part of the LGBTQIA+ community; he hid his Traveller heritage because he feared he might receive "hate or backlash". Speaking to fellow ''Drag Race'' contestant Sister Sister, he said; "Growing up eing gaydid affect me. I don't think I was completely sane at all." Ward

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

to his parents by writing a letter before leaving home for a week, after which his parents individually took him for a drive and talked but did not discuss his sexual orientation after that incident. Ward left home when he was 18, and he returned to the Traveller community for the 2022 documentary '' Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud''. Ward was

genderfluid Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typicall ...

and used he/they pronouns when not in drag. Ward died on 18 September 2022 at age 28. No cause of death was given. Following the announcement of his death, numerous ''Drag Race'' contestants paid tribute to him; these include fellow second-series contestants Asttina Mandela,

A'Whora George Boyle (born 22 September 1996), better known by the stage name A'Whora, is a British drag queen from Worksop, England. He is best known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2), second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK.'' Ed ...

Bimini Bon-Boulash Bimini Bon-Boulash (also known mononymously as Bimini; born 12 May 1993) is the stage name of Thomas Hibbitts, an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England. They are best kn ...

Ellie Diamond Elliot Glen (born 20 December 1998), better known by the stage name Ellie Diamond, is a Scottish drag performer most known for competing on the second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK''. Career Diamond has been as a drag performer since 2015 ...

Ginny Lemon Lewis Matthew Lumiere Mandall, Croucher, known professionally as Ginny Lemon, is a British Drag queen, drag performer and recording artist best known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2), second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK ...

, Joe Black,

Lawrence Chaney Lawrence Chaney (born Lawrence Maidment; 16 October 1996) is a Scottish Glasgow-based drag queen. They are best known for winning the second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'', becoming the first Scottish drag queen to win across the franchise ...

, Sister Sister, Tayce, and Tia Kofi, as well as

Priyanka ''Priyanka'' is a popular female given name in Hindu and Buddhist cultures. It is a name derived from the Sanskrit word 'Priyankera' or 'Priyankara', meaning someone or something that is amiable, lovable, or makes you happy and the one who has lov ...

and Sum Ting Wong.

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960; stylized as RuPaul) is an American drag queen, television personality, actor, musician, and model. Best known for producing, hosting, and judging the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' ...

described Ward as a "bright star and a lovely person" who would "always be in

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

hearts", and

Michelle Visage Michelle Lynn Case (nee Shupack), better known as Michelle Visage (born September 20, 1968), is an American singer, television host, actress, radio DJ and producer. She first gained recognition as a member of the musical group Seduction which ...

said Ward was "one of a kind with a laugh as big as isheart".

Filmography

Television

Music videos

Discography

As featured artist

Stage

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Cherry 1993 births 2022 deaths 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people Alumni of the University of Cumbria English drag queens English nurses English Romani people Gay entertainers Genderqueer people LGBT Romani people Non-binary drag performers People from Darlington Psychiatric nurses RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestants Genderfluid people