Cynthia Lee Fontaine on making her triumphant ‘Drag Race’ comeback after battling cancer

The CuCu is back and better than ever! On Friday night’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Cynthia Lee Fontaine made her triumphant return to the Emmy award-winning show for another chance at snatching the crown.

Basking in the glow of her Drag Race return, or should we say Ru-turn, Cynthia stopped by Hey Qween for an exclusive interview with hostJonny McGovern.

“Everything is amazing! I’m going on tour and I’m doing my one woman show… and I’m healthier than ever,” she proclaims.

The one woman show, Cynthia Lee Fontaine: More Intimate CuCu Confessions, is a revamped version of her first one woman show and as she’ll tell you, it’s a project she has always dreamed of.

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“It’s a show where I go through all the different stages of my life,” Cynthia explains. “It is something that I dream of, because it’s the first time I’m combining singing with Cynthia the drag queen. It is really good!”

And while everything may be CuCus and rainbows for season 8’s Miss Congeniality now, just last year Cynthia won the battle for her life. After being eliminated on the third episode, Cynthia was diagnosed with Stage 1 liver cancer.

“I was filming the show and I was experiencing all the symptoms,” she reveals. “All of my skin was turning yellow, I was having intense diarrhea and digestive problems. I lost, during the two weeks on the show, like 47 pounds.”

After four rounds of chemotherapy, some time to recover and a little help from her Drag Race sisters, Cynthia is now happily in remission.

“I am now cancer-free and so happy to be in recovery,” she adds.

So what’s Cynthia’s plan now that she’s back on the Race and how will she avoid getting the ax this season? Well according to her, this time around she is much more focused and prepared for whatever comes her way.

“During the [season 8] filming, there was a lot of pressure and there was a lot of work to do. In that time you don’t think, you just execute,” she explains. “But this time I know how the production goes and in my case, my character has an upgrade and I feel like I have more resources now so I’m going to be ready!”

And while the road to drag stardom hasn’t always been the easiest one for Cynthia Lee Fontaine she couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

“This journey has been quite a bumpy ride, but at the same time I feel so happy and so satisfied with the results. I love it.”

Rounding out her interview, Cynthia played a game of Look At Huh, a segment of the show where guests “spill a little tea or throw a little shade” about others in their life. Cynthia had this to say about her new competitors on season 9…

Kimora Black: “She’s very nice, very kind. When you see her, you have to look at her makeup… it’s impressive. The thing is, you see her with this Kardashian attitude, but she’s so sweet and so humble. And she’s got a CuCu, A+!”

Valentina: “I’m so excited because for 8 years we’ve had Puerto Rican girls, but now we’re going to have representation for the Mexican and Hispanic community. She’s gorgeous and I wish her the best of luck.”

Sasha Velour: “I believe that her type of performance is so beautiful because you can combine the masterpiece of a painting on your execution as a performer and that’s so beautiful.”

Peppermint: “She sings so beautiful and she’s promoting herself as the first transgender woman to be on the show and I love that!”

Trinity Taylor: “I’ve known Trinity from pageantry for so long. Very professional, very committed to her drag career. Every time she goes on stage she’s perfect with no nail missed. And when you see her all serious, it’s not because she’s a bitch, it’s because she’s focused on what she’s going to do. And she can change in like 3 minutes! It’s impressive how professional she is as an entertainer.”