Courtney Act is busy signing copies of her memoir, Caught In The Act, when she picks up the phone to new. She tells us she has just personalised one to send to former Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, who she famously clashed with on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
“I hope she’s wearing pearls so she can clutch them while reading about my sex stories,” she laughs, in her unmistakable Australian twang.
And while it does contain details of 40-year-old Courtney’s wild nights out on the Sydney gay scene, her memoir also offers fans an insight into the highs and lows of the making of the drag superstar – real name Shane Jenek – who finished as runner-up on the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014.
The star first found fame in 2003 when she auditioned for the first season of Australian Idol as Shane, being turned away and returning the next day as Courtney, then sailing through to the semi-finals.
She then signed a record deal and was branded “the third Hilton sister” after striking up friendships with Paris and Nicky Hilton.
But when her debut single crashed out of the Australian singles charts after peaking at number 29, plans for an album were shelved and she found herself thrust back into obscurity.
“As you get older you look back on the different experiences in your life and think, ‘My story didn’t end there, it kept going and actually it got better,’” she tells us, as she reflects on her decision to move to the US and compete on Drag Race.
Here, Courtney lifts the lid on writing her life story, opens up about CBB flirt Andrew Brady, and reveals what she thinks of RuPaul…
Hi, Courtney! How did you find writing your memoir?
It was definitely cathartic. It was the most deep childhood regression therapy of my life. For example, my first kiss with a boy is like a cute little happy memory. But as I was writing about it, I just started breaking down sobbing because for the 18 years that came before that, where I didn’t understand who I was, I didn’t understand anything about queer identity. There was such shame and such silence surrounding it. Writing my book was a real form of therapy.
What would your life look like without drag?
I can’t even imagine. It’s so weird to think about because I was just so naturally drawn to drag. It was fun and it was expressive and it was performative and it was glamour and it was all of the things that I grew up loving. I rocked up to the Australian Idol open call one day as Shane and I got knocked back and I went the next day as Courtney. Drag enabled me to create opportunities where there weren’t any and carve out a career for myself.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1660629251/articles/cA2ReFZpT1661335965859/3346066004.jpg]
What was life like for you at 21 after Australian Idol?
I had just been on a huge TV show, I had signed a record deal, I was hanging out with Paris Hilton and I was just like, “This is ...
“I hope she’s wearing pearls so she can clutch them while reading about my sex stories,” she laughs, in her unmistakable Australian twang.
And while it does contain details of 40-year-old Courtney’s wild nights out on the Sydney gay scene, her memoir also offers fans an insight into the highs and lows of the making of the drag superstar – real name Shane Jenek – who finished as runner-up on the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2014.
The star first found fame in 2003 when she auditioned for the first season of Australian Idol as Shane, being turned away and returning the next day as Courtney, then sailing through to the semi-finals.
She then signed a record deal and was branded “the third Hilton sister” after striking up friendships with Paris and Nicky Hilton.
But when her debut single crashed out of the Australian singles charts after peaking at number 29, plans for an album were shelved and she found herself thrust back into obscurity.
“As you get older you look back on the different experiences in your life and think, ‘My story didn’t end there, it kept going and actually it got better,’” she tells us, as she reflects on her decision to move to the US and compete on Drag Race.
Here, Courtney lifts the lid on writing her life story, opens up about CBB flirt Andrew Brady, and reveals what she thinks of RuPaul…
Hi, Courtney! How did you find writing your memoir?
It was definitely cathartic. It was the most deep childhood regression therapy of my life. For example, my first kiss with a boy is like a cute little happy memory. But as I was writing about it, I just started breaking down sobbing because for the 18 years that came before that, where I didn’t understand who I was, I didn’t understand anything about queer identity. There was such shame and such silence surrounding it. Writing my book was a real form of therapy.
What would your life look like without drag?
I can’t even imagine. It’s so weird to think about because I was just so naturally drawn to drag. It was fun and it was expressive and it was performative and it was glamour and it was all of the things that I grew up loving. I rocked up to the Australian Idol open call one day as Shane and I got knocked back and I went the next day as Courtney. Drag enabled me to create opportunities where there weren’t any and carve out a career for myself.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1583506613/1660629251/articles/cA2ReFZpT1661335965859/3346066004.jpg]
What was life like for you at 21 after Australian Idol?
I had just been on a huge TV show, I had signed a record deal, I was hanging out with Paris Hilton and I was just like, “This is ...
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New UK (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 22, 2022