Gottmik from Drag Race discovers his identity with the help of Ali Heidi Klum

In this week's news , the drag superstar reveals how Klum went from being one of her makeup clients to being a close confidant and teaching her the importance of true alliances.

Before she found fame as a Gotmek drag queen, thanks to a standout performance in Season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race, celebrity makeup artist Cade Gottlieb relied on her connected support network to come to her senses.

"I wouldn't be where I am today, with my sexuality and gender identity, without allies around me who took the time to listen to me and give me the support I needed," said Gottlieb, 25, of the weekly issue of PEOPLE for people, which gave her the courage to reveal her journey as a transgender person to the public.

Gottlieb — who uses the pronouns she/hers when he's in drag and he when he's in a breath — became the first trans man to participate in an Emmy-winning reality show, eventually becoming the third.

This success was assembled possible in part by Heidi Klum, one of her main clients, who helped her develop the confidence to go from fantastic makeup to superstar.

"[Heidi] has the right idea of ​​what an ally should be: open, listening, supportive in every way," Gottlieb said. Klum, 49, needed a makeup artist when she was selected to host the 2019 German drag race, Queen of Drags, and she knew Gottlieb was the right person for the job.

"I wanted to wear slide makeup, but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to," said Klum, noting that she had asked Gottlieb for advice.

"It was always annoying, especially at work… and he was very acceptable," she recalls, opening up to Klum about her move. "Every time I went back to my older clients, like when I started a physical transition and was nervous about seeing myself again, I'd be like, 'Heidi is Heidi, damn Klum, and the most receptive person in my history, so if you can bear it, anyone can endure it. And if they don't, I don't want to make them my customer."

Klum intervened: "Precisely people we don't care about."

It was important for Klum to "ask questions" and understand Gottlieb's journey. "Not only do you want to know about yourself, but because I don't want to hurt anyone by saying the wrong thing," he explained. I want to know more, and you want to tell me more.