Canada’s Drag Race queen Anastarzia Anaquway reveals why she didn’t leave mirror message after her shock elimination

Anastarzia Anaquway

Canada’s Drag Race said goodbye to Anastarzia Anaquway this week after the veteran queen failed to impress in the “Not Sorry Aboot It” rap battle.

Having impressed in the first two weeks of the competition, Anastarzia stumbled in week three and landed in the bottom two alongside Tynomi Banks, who was lip-syncing for the second time in as many episodes.

After a fierce lip sync to Deborah Cox’s “Absolutely Not” in front of the gay icon herself, Anastarzia was asked to sashay away, but not before giving one final rousing speech to her fellow queens.

“Ladies, take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you,” she said.

“By being here we have proven that the sky has never been out limit. Mother, out.”

After she was applauded off stage, Anastarzia exited the werk room for the final time without leaving the traditional lipstick mirror message.

She explained that this wasn’t down to any bad blood between her and her fellow competitors, but rather because she had said all she needed to say on the main stage.

“I’m a trendsetter and I march to the beat of my own drum,” she said.

“Also, every human on that stage knew how I felt about them.

“I had some pretty profound last words and after that, there was nothing left to say.”

Canada’s Drag Race is ‘groundbreaking’, says Anastarzia Anaquway.

The 37-year-old is originally from the Bahamas, and before her elimination revealed how she survived being shot by homophobes before fleeing to Canada, the country she now calls home.

She said that being a part of Canada’s Drag Race felt “groundbreaking” to her.

“Everyone’s a winner for being selected for the show,” she said. “We came and we conquered, no matter our placement.”

Asked what her greatest piece of advice for aspiring queens watching the show, Anastarzia simply said: “Stay true to who you are, whether you are doing drag or just living your everyday life.”

Canada’s Drag Race is available on BBC iPlayer with new episodes arriving Fridays.