Gloria Hunniford became the second celebrity to be revealed on The Masked Singer this weekend when she was unmasked as Snow Leopard – however, Hunniford’s identity was almost uncovered during a dress rehearsal performance according to the Loose Women star herself.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview, Hunniford said that her Snow Leopard mask “slipped” during a run-through of her number, Shirley Bassey’s Big Spender.
“In the dress rehearsal, my mask wasn’t on tight enough and at one point, I threw my head back to sing a very high note and the mask slipped back.
“All I got was a mouthful of fur because the whole collar slipped up into my mouth,” she added.
“So I was thinking, ‘Thank God I didn’t do that on the live programme!’”
The ITV show is notoriously secretive about its celebrity contestants, with Hunniford revealing that she had to change into an all-black disguise before arriving at the studio to film.
“They tell you at the beginning you have to stop down the road, 15 minutes away from the studio and get into all your gear. I found it quite funny.
“So you’re sitting in the back of a car, putting on your sweatshirt, putting on the balaclava and the visor and gloves and all of that, and leaving your clothes in the car.
She continued: “I talk for a living so I found it very difficult. I had to teach myself not to speak because even when we were going into the studio, I wanted to say [to the doorman], ‘Thank you so much, how are you today?’ But of course I had to teach myself not to say anything.”
Hunniford took on The Masked Singer’s Poodle, who performed Elton John’s Rocket Man, in season three’s second episode, however she landed in the bottom three alongside Rockhopper and Bagpipes.
The Masked Singer continues on Saturday on ITV. For something else to watch, check out our TV Guide.