Exclusive: Karna Ford reflects on her emotional exit and big dreams after being eliminated from Drag Race Down Under

Karna Ford's high-energy performances and sassy style made her one of the breakout queens on Drag Race Down Under, but the time has come for her to sashay away.

Stream Drag Race Down Under only on Stan.

Known as Sydney's dancing diva, Karna leaves the show with no regrets but plenty of plans for the future.

Watch Karna Ford's exit interview in the video above.

Karna was eliminated after Episode 3's I'm a Celebrity Impersonator: Snatch Me Out Of Here Game, a Drag Race tradition that puts queens' celebrity impersonation skills to the test.

Karna chose to impersonate Eddiesha Knowles Carter Murphy III, otherwise known Eddie Murphy in drag.

"I don't think there's any regrets for choosing my character," she explained.

"We were such a talented cast, and I was definitely intimidated by everyone else who did so well. But for me, this character is someone I always do for my friends and would always make them laugh with, so I couldn't see myself doing anyone else."

Her admiration for the competition even extended to fellow queen Brenda Breast.

"I was just laughing at the things she was doing – it was just so good," she said, after Brenda played a Prue and Trude-inspired version of Gina Riley.

Karna's final runway

For Karna, Drag Race was not just a place to showcase her skills but also an opportunity to celebrate her Filipino heritage. Her final runway look held deep significance.

"I'm glad that I got to show this outfit off on the runway because it was quite personal to me," Karna shared, noting it was a tribute to her grandmother.

"It's inspired by a Filipino dessert called Shakoy, a coconut-based doughnut twisted and coated in sugar. Growing up, she would always make it for me on weekends.

"I thought it would look really cool on the runway and was just happy to share something personal to me."

READ MORE: RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under star Olivia Dreams reacts to being the first eliminated queen

The three-way lip-sync

The queen's journey on Drag Race Down Under reached an emotional high point when she was asked to do three-way lip-sync with Max Drag Queen and Nikita Iman to decide who would be eliminated, a performance that Karna describes as "traumatising."

"A million things were going through my mind. Max [Drag Queen] is one of the best performers in the world, and I'd always thought that if I was ever going to go home, it would be against her. She's the only one I would accept going home with".

On Michelle Visage as Down Under host

Karna confessed that it was initially a bit of a shock not having RuPaul as host, but loved the new format with Michelle Visage.

"Michelle was there for us, to make us grow. She wasn't there just because she's RuPaul's best friend; she cared so much about making us better," she said.

"She did an incredible job."

READ MORE: New Drag Race Down Under host Michelle Visage teases 'mind-blowing' new season

What Karna has learnt about herself from Drag Race?

Reflecting on her time on Drag Race Down Under, Karna is taking away some invaluable lessons. "I've learned to not get in my head," she revealed.

"I felt like I didn't get to do my best because I was too in my head sometimes. That's something I want to teach myself going forward."

What's next for Karna Ford?

Now, Karna has her sights set on taking her drag international.

Known for her lively performances on Sydney's Oxford Street, she's a regular at Universal, Poof Doof, and from hosting Bingo Babes with Logan The Drag Queen at Potts Point Hotel.

"Coming out of this, one of my goals is to try and tour internationally more," she said.

Follow Karna Ford on Instagram.

Stream Drag Race Down Under only on Stan.

The Stan Original Series Drag Race Down Under is available to watch now on Stan. A new episode will drop each Friday from 5pm (AEST).

Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.

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