Alison Hammond has revealed what it was really like to take part in The Masked Singer - and even gave an apology to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield. The presenter stunned viewers and her celebrity pals after she was unmasked on the singing competition's I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here special on Sunday night (November 6).
The two popular ITV programmes joined forced to mark the return of I'm A Celeb to Australia after two years in Wales due to travel restrictions amid the pandemic. Alison, who appeared in the jungle in 2010, was unmasked as Witchetty Grub after she removed the recognisable bubble helmet as part of her costume.
The 47-year-old This Morning favourite sang a lively version of M People’s classic track Moving On Up as she took to the stage. None of the judges guessed it was Alison behind the mask, with Jonathan Ross feeling it might be Katie Price and Rita Ora guessing it was Carol Vorderman.
READ MORE: Vernon Kay shows ITV The Masked Singer reality as he surprises viewers as Koala
Davina opted for Lisa Snowdon, while Mo Gilligan thought it might be Gemma Collins. But after losing out to Koala, who ended up being revealed as Vernon Kay when he won the show, it was Alison who was unmasked as Witchetty Grub.
"I’m going to be honest with you – it was probably one of the most challenging things I ever had to do," Alison told Holly and Phillip on Monday's This Morning (November 7). Sharing the reality behind her extravagant costume, she said: "If you look at the costume, there’s a head inside another glass head, so the amount of oxygen I had inside was absolutely... it was like zero. I was really struggling.
"So I had to literally play it down. I mean, those moves that you saw me doing, that’s all I could do. I just wasn’t physically capable to sing, be in those two heads, and dance as well, so I just had to concentrate on getting the vocals out, because it was so hot."
Sharing how their identity is kept hidden throughout filming, Alison added: "It was unbelievable. 10 minutes before you get to the studio, you’ve got to put on a black t-shirt that says ‘Don’t talk to me’, you’ve got your balaclava, gloves, socks. You’ve got to make sure none of your skin is shown, and someone’s leading you round the whole time.£
She added: "It’s the most bizarre feeling ever," before recommending her fellow stars to take part if they ever get the chance, saying it was the 'best thing' she has done. However, Holly and Phillip admitted to not having a clue that she was behind the elaborate mask.
And as they started to wrap up their chat, Alison replied with an apology. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you both, I'm really sorry!" she said. "We understand, you're forgiven," Phillip replied before he and Holly both agreed it would have spoiled the surprise. "You so rarely get surprises as grown-ups," Holly, 41, added. "It was really nice."
Alison then added: "I wasn't going to do it but I thought about you two and I knew you'd love it. I knew you'd love if I did that show." with Phillip, 60, then admitted to swearing when he saw the big reveal on TV which made Alison break into laughter. "Did you?" to which he replied: "I couldn't tell you what I said."
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