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 (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

and

mental health nurse A mental health nurse (MHN) refers to a nurse in the UK, who specializes in the care of patients with mental health issues. The practice of MHNs is called mental health nursing. Background MHNs comprise approximately 12% of the total NHS Nursin ...

who competed 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 ...

''. Raised in a

Romanichal The Romanichal ( ; more commonly known as English Gypsies) are a Romani people, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom. Many Romanichal speak Angloromani, a mixed language that blends Romani language, Romani vocabulary with English syntax. Roma ...

community, Ward has been credited as the first contestant on the ''Drag Race'' franchise to acknowledge his

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

heritage. In 2022, he addressed his background in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary film '' Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud'', and in an episode of the documentary series '' God Shave the Queens''. Following Ward's suicide in 2022, a memorial concert and fundraiser was held at London's

Clapham Grand The Grand (previously The Grand Theatre) is a Grade II* listed buildings in London, Grade II listed building on St John's Hill, near Clapham Junction (area), Clapham Junction in Battersea, South London. It was designed by Ernest Woodrow and was ...

Early life and education

George Ward was born on 30 November 1993 in

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, in the

north-east of England The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A ''compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each ...

; he grew up in an English

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler, or The Traveller may refer to: People *Anyone engaged in travel Groups * Romani people, or Roma, or Gypsies, and their subgroups in various countries * Indigenous Norwegian Travellers * Irish Travellers ...

community in Darlington. As his father had done, he was expected to develop a career as a mechanic. Ward was raised in a strict environment in which drag was not considered normal. He

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

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. He said of his early life: "Growing up eing gaydid affect me. I don't think I was completely sane at all." Ward was the first member of his family to attend university, 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, schizophr ...

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, establi ...

, during which time he was introduced to

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

drag Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street a ...

scene.

Career

Ward

qualified Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...

as a mental health nurse in 2015. He began performing as Cherry Valentine in 2016, while still working in a children's

psychiatric intensive-care unit Psychiatric Intensive Care Units or PICUs are specialist twenty-four hour inpatient wards that provide psychiatric assessment, intensive assessment and treatment of mental disorders, comprehensive treatment to individuals during the most acute p ...

and with adults with

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly Genetic disorder#Autosomal dominant, inherited. It typically presents as a triad of progressive psychiatric, cognitive, and ...

. Ward chose the stage name "Cherry Valentine" for his drag

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

, after considering several options. The name was inspired by cherry-scented bath wash and his grandmother's liking for

sherry Sherry ( ) is a fortified wine produced from white grapes grown around the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, Spain. Sherry is a drink produced in a variety of styles made primarily from the Palomino grape, ranging from light versio ...

. According to ''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

'', "Valentine" was added because of his fondness for

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

. 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

, you're working with people. By understanding people, you're going the extra mile". Cherry Valentine failed to impress judges with her performance in the second episode's

Rusical A Rusical (portmanteau of "RuPaul" and "musical") is a musical theatre challenge recurring across the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' television franchise. Rusical productions began in 2014 during the RuPaul's Drag Race season 6, sixth seaso ...

. By placing in the bottom two, she had to

lip-sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements ...

to "

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 remembe ...

" by

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

from the musical ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' (1981) against

Tayce Tayce Szura-Radix (stage name Tayce; born 28 May 1994) is a Welsh drag queen, rapper and model from Newport, Wales. She is best known for competing in the second series of '' RuPaul's Drag Race UK'', in which she placed joint runner-up. Care ...

. Cherry Valentine lost the lip-sync and was eliminated from the competition, placing twelfth. When filming for the show was halted during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Ward returned to work in the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

(NHS) to assist in relief efforts and the UK's deployment of vaccines. 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 W ...

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 RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2), second series of ''RuPaul's Drag ...

, 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 appeared ...

, who was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. The remaining contestants voted for Joe Black to return. All contestants appeared in the final episode to perform to

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...

's song " A Little Bit of Love" (1997). Cherry Valentine's last appearance on the series was in the grand finale alongside the entire cast. Sam Damshenas of ''

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

'' said her run on the show was "short-lived" but "the star won the hearts of viewers with her fierce aesthetic and charismatic confessionals, as well as her inspiring journey from traveller to drag superstar". Following ''Drag Race UK'', Cherry Valentine released the

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

tracks "Aesthetic" and "Iconic" as

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

in 2021. She also appeared in music videos for "My House" by

Jodie Harsh Jodie Harsh is the stage name of Jay Clarke, a London-based DJ music producer, promoter, and drag queen who was born in Canterbury in Kent. Career Nightlife Jodie Harsh adopted her moniker at the age of 18 when she moved to London for he ...

, and " Good Ones" by

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

in 2021. In February 2022, she and the rest of the series's contestants embarked on ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'': The Official Tour. Cherry Valentine was the subject of the second series premiere of '' God Shave the Queens'', a documentary about the tour. The episode saw Ward reflect on his 2022 documentary '' Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud'' about being raised as an English Traveller. It was the first time he had returned to the Traveller community since he left home at 18. He was "absolutely terrified" to make the film and was "unsure 'which route to go down' due to a significant lack of mainstream attention and education on LGBTQ+ Travellers", according to Damshenas, who also said the documentary "received widespread critical acclaim". Ward has been credited as the first contestant on the ''Drag Race'' franchise to address his

heritage (

series 1 The IBM Series/1 is a 16-bit minicomputer, introduced in 1976, that in many respects competed with other minicomputers of the time, such as the PDP-11 from Digital Equipment Corporation and similar offerings from Data General and HP. The Seri ...

winner

The Vivienne James Lee Williams (12 April 1992 – 5 January 2025), known professionally as The Vivienne, was a British drag queen from Colwyn Bay, Wales, and winner of the RuPaul's Drag Race UK series 1, first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' in 2019. T ...

has since also acknowledged her Romani background).

Personal life

Described as

genderfluid Gender fluidity (commonly referred to as genderfluid) is a non-fixed gender identity that shifts over time or depending on the situation. These fluctuations can occur at the level of gender identity or gender expression. A genderfluid person m ...

and

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

, Ward used ''he''/''they'' pronouns when not in drag. As part of the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

, Ward hid his Traveller heritage because he feared he might receive "hate or backlash".

Death

Ward died at his residence in the north London district of

Hornsey Hornsey () is a district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Haringey. It is an inner-suburban, for the most part residential, area centred north of Charing Cross. It adjoins green spaces Queen's Wood to the west and Alexand ...

on 18 September 2022, at the age of 28. A coroner's

inquest An inquest is a judicial inquiry in common law jurisdictions, particularly one held to determine the cause of a person's death. Conducted by a judge, jury, or government official, an inquest may or may not require an autopsy carried out by a cor ...

on 9 February 2023 recorded Ward's death as

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

. Following the announcement of his death, many ''Drag Race'' contestants paid tribute to him, including fellow series 2 contestants

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.'' Edu ...

Bimini Bon-Boulash Thomas George Graeme Hibbitts (born 12 May 1993), better known by the stage name Bimini Bon-Boulash or Bimini, is an English drag queen, author, recording artist and model based in East London, and born in Great Yarmouth, England. They are be ...

Ellie Diamond Elliot Haefner 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''. Early life Glen was born and raised in Dundee ...

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

Lawrence Chaney Lawrence Chaney (born Lawrence Maidment; 16 October 1996) is a British Glasgow-based drag queen. They are best known for winning the RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 2), second series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'', becoming the first Scottish drag q ...

, Sister Sister,

, and

Tia Kofi Lawrence John Bolton, better known by the stage name Tia Kofi, is a British drag queen and singer from Clapham, South London. They are best known for competing on the second series of '' RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' (2021), and winning the second se ...

, as well as

Baga Chipz Leo Loren better known by the stage name Baga Chipz, is an English drag queen known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race UK (series 1), first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' (2019) and later the RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World (series ...

Cheryl Hole Cheryl, formerly known as Cheryl Hole (born 18 October 1993), is the stage name of Luke Underwood-Bleach, an English drag queen known for being one of the first contestants on the first series of ''RuPaul's Drag Race UK'' (2019), as well as the ...

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 sweet, lovable, or her presence makes the place more happy a ...

, Sum Ting Wong, and

. RuPaul 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. Offi ...

hearts", and ''Drag Race'' judge

Michelle Visage Michelle Visage (born Michelle Lynn Shupack, September 20, 1968) is an American television personality, singer, broadcaster, producer, and actress. She gained recognition as a member of the dance-pop group Seduction (group), Seduction, who char ...

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

series 4 Series 4 could refer to: * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4, the automobile model * BMW 4 Series, the automobile model line * GeForce 4 series The GeForce 4 series (codenames below) refers to the fourth generation of Nvidia's GeForce line of graph ...

episode of ''Drag Race UK'' featured an

in memoriam segment An in memoriam segment is a memorial to the people, of one particular field or industry, who have recently died. Typically, such memorials air on television, mostly during awards ceremonies. These segments consist of images or video clips of the ...

following the regular credits, the Cherry's Legacy Fundraiser on

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...

exceeded its £10,000 goal, and the organisers of

RuPaul's DragCon UK RuPaul's DragCon UK is a multi-genre entertainment convention held annually at the ExCeL London, Exhibition Centre London located in London, England. The two-day event primarily features prominent drag performers for executives, fanatics, and o ...

announced that a

condolence book A condolence book or book of condolence is a book in which people may record their condolences following a death or great tragedy. Following the death of a leading figure or great disaster, condolence books are placed in public places for member ...

would be dedicated to Cherry Valentine. In October 2022, Cherry Valentine's production company Throne Events announced a memorial concert to be held at

in London in November. Tickets to ''Iconic: The Cherry Valentine Memorial Concert'' were made available at no cost, with donations benefitting his legacy fund and mental health charities. The

livestreamed Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- live ...

concert featured performances by ''Drag Race UK'' contestants Elektra Fence and Joe Black, as well as the group Traveller Pride. Attendees had the chance to pay their respects by scattering rose petals around Cherry Valentine's entrance look on the show. In 2024, Tia Kofi paid tribute to Cherry Valentine on

series 2 Series 2 could refer to: * Apple Watch Series 2, a smart watch by Apple * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 2, the automobile model * Aston Martin V8 Series 2, the automobile model * BMW 2 Series, the automobile model line * GeForce 2 series, line of nVi ...

of '' RuPaul's Drag Race: UK vs. the World'', by wearing an outfit inspired by the latter's red promo look for ''Drag Race UK''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Discography

Singles

As a featured artist

References

External links

George Ward
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

* ,

WOW Presents Plus WOW Presents Plus (also called World of Wonder Presents Plus or WOWPresents+) is a subscription-based streaming service owned by production company, World of Wonder. The subscription service was founded in November 2017, by Randy Barbato and ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Cherry 1993 births 2022 deaths 2022 suicides 21st-century English LGBTQ people Alumni of the University of Cumbria English drag queens English gay entertainers English non-binary entertainers English nurses English queer people English Romani people Genderfluid drag performers LGBTQ people who died by suicide Non-binary drag performers Non-binary gay people People from Darlington Psychiatric nurses Romani LGBTQ people RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestants Suicides by hanging in England Suicides in Greater London