The Vivienne and Ex-Husband David Paul Ludford’s Relationship Timeline

Late Drag Race star The Vivienne and ex-husband David Paul Ludford had a whirlwind romance.

The Vivienne (real name James Lee Williams) met Ludford while on vacation in Gran Canaria, Spain, in 2017. The pair hit it off and began dating shortly after. Nearly one year after their vacation rendez-vous, The Vivienne and Ludford got engaged. They tied the knot in 2019.

After their wedding, The Vivienne and Ludford remained by each other’s sides as they pursued their passions. However, after four years of marriage, the twosome amicably called it quits.

Two years after their breakup, The Vivienne died at age 32. Police confirmed to Hello! in January 2025 that “there were no suspicious circumstances” in the drag star’s death. A cause of death was not revealed at the time. After learning of his ex’s passing, Ludford paid tribute to The Vivienne.

“My heart literally sank when I got the call!! 🪽💔😔My heart is shattered!!! 😭😭,” Ludford wrote via Instagram at the time. “Never in a million years did I think I’d ever be writing anything like this about @thevivienne_.”

Keep scrolling to take a look back on The Vivienne and Ludford’s relationship timeline:

August 2017

The Vivienne and Ludford met while on vacation in Gran Canaria, Spain. Ludford revealed in January 2025 that he and the drag performer “clicked straight away” and knew that they would “be together” for a long time.

May 2018

After dating for less than a year, The Vivienne and Ludford got engaged. The Vivienne later revealed that they were the one who popped the question while in Las Vegas.

“A year ago today I dropped to my [knee] 550 feet above the Las Vegas strip! @larryedwardslv was the officiator 😂😂,” they wrote via Instagram in May 2019. “You’re a pain in the arse but I love you more every day! Love you David ❤️❤️❤️.”

December 2019

The couple tied the knot after dating for nearly two years.

December 2020

The Vivienne celebrated their first anniversary with Ludford as a married couple with a touching tribute.

“Happy Anniversary to my beautiful husband David. Can’t believe it’s been a whole year since our fabulous wedding,” they wrote via Instagram alongside throwback pics from their nuptials. “You’ve changed my life, made me so happy and I love you even more now than ever ❤️❤️❤️❤️.”

January 2022

Ludford and The Vivienne took a special trip as a couple back to the place where they first fell in love.

“So nice to be away! Back to GC where me and David first met,” the reality star wrote alongside an Instagram selfie of the couple at the beach. “Memories on every corner! So lovely! X.”

October 2022

The pair celebrated buying their first home together.

“Today we got the keys to our new house!” The Vivienne captioned an Instagram Reel. “So happy for this new chapter Angel @d.ludford !”

April 2023

The Vivienne and Ludford announced that they called it quits after four years of marriage.

“As many have noticed, David and I have been apart recently. We have made the decision to part ways after an amazing 5 and a half years,” The Vivienne wrote in a joint April 2023 Facebook statement with Ludford. “We are still very much friends but sometimes life gets in the way and people grow apart. We wish each other the absolute best and will always be part of each other’s lives.”

January 2025

Ludford penned a touching tribute in honor of The Vivienne following their unexpected death.

“We literally went through and did so much together it was like a whirlwind and I wouldn’t have changed the time we spent together for anything In The world!!!” he penned. “I feel like a tit feeling this upset and hurt because we have been fully divorced for just over a year now but we was together 6 year and we loved each other so much and you can’t take away.”

The wig designer added that he was “so happy” to spend six years with The Vivienne and that they would “always have a place in my heart 💔💔.”

“Going to miss you more than people will ever know sleep tight angel 🫶🏻🙏🏼🪽,” Ludford concluded.

In a subsequent post, Ludford shared some throwback photos of him and The Vivienne throughout their relationship.

“My heart is literally shattered, I feel so out of place I feel lost, I feel numb 💔😭😔🪽,” he captioned the Instagram post. “Fly high angel and keep shining 🕊️.”