fan favourite Cheryl Hole has spoken out after her appearance on BBC cooking show sparked a storm of bigoted outrage. After competing on the first season of and , stole our hearts – and bagged a frequent spot on mainstream . After appearing on and , Cheryl announced back in June that her next reality TV-based challenge would come via . Speaking to the on Wednesday (16 August) ahead of her kitchen debut, Cheryl said that her appearance on the programme was a chance to show that the LGBTQ+ community is nothing to be fearful of. In the US, the UK and around the world, LGBTQ+ people have seen their and their safety compromised by . Trans people have of much of the pushback, while demonstrators have on both sides of the pond. “We’ve just had an ,” Cheryl said. “I don’t understand what’s happening in the world and to have representation for our community, to have voices and stories heard, shows we are nothing to be feared.” Despite her plea that her appearance is a cue for everyone to “have a laugh and just forget”, some sad social media dwellers were left aghast that a drag performer could grace mainstream TV. Hundreds of flocked to the BBC’s article about Cheryl’s appearance on the show, claiming that drag queens are “misogynistic” and “offensive parodies of womanhood”. One person went as far to claim that Cheryl Hole chopping up a pomegranate on the telly was evidence of the LGBTQ+ community “causing havoc in our society”. In news that will delight the drag haters, Cheryl was eliminated from the competition during her one and only appearance on the show. Yet she didn’t leave without putting out a statement in defence of her and her drag sisters, and claimed that those spouting vitriol have “proved” her point regarding “All I will say is people clearly don’t understand the and its celebration of women,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Women shaped me into the person I am today either through music, their words of wisdom or support. In no way do we mock women at all, so to throw that argument at me is in vain. “People can continue to hurl abuse at me, liken my work to ‘woman-face’ but at the end of the day. This has all stemmed from me speaking up and using my platform on the hate that is directed to our community. And you’ve proved everyone right.” She implored people to simply enjoy the show, rather than getting worked up about seeing a drag queen “using a few pots and pans and an oven”. Plus, those who took major issue with her appearance may have bigger fish to fry in the near future, as Cheryl declared that she had been taking note of those who had called her a . “I’m not sure they’ll like the outcome,” she shared in a cryptic tweet, insinuating that they may face a . While anti-drag pundits tripped over themselves to tear Cheryl down, her sisters made the point that she is not the first queen to appear on – Baga Chipz and have both recently appeared on the cooking show, to little fanfare. It’s a signifier of quite how much anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has intensified in recent months.