The Masked Singer UK is gearing up to crown this year's winner. Fawn, Rhino, and Phoenix are 2023's finalists and will go head to head on Saturday, February 18 in a final attempt to bamboozle judges Mo Gilligan, Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Rita Ora. You can follow live Masked Singer updates here.
Popular guesses for Fawn include Nicola Appleton and Kym Marsh, while many at home believe Busted's Charlie Simpson or The X Factor's James Arthur could be behind Rhino. Phoenix has the panel a little more perplexed, with some viewers at home guessing David Tennant and Welsh actor Michael Sheen. Meanwhile, judge Mo now believes actor Luke Evans could be behind the mask.
And while we won't know who is hiding behind the costumes until the big reveal during Saturday night's final, the most recent guesses for Phoenix have us casting our minds back to series past. Many Welsh stars have taken part in the competition over the years, with Charlotte Church coming runner-up in last year's competition.
Read more: The Masked Singer UK viewers think Welsh actor could be behind Phoenix as judges left stumped
Here's a look back at The Masked Singer UK's Welsh stars and how they fared in the ITV1 competition. How many of these can you remember?
S3 Mushroom - Charlotte Church
Season three's competition saw Welsh singer Charlotte Church win second place, just missing out to Panda in the final. Charlotte was behind Mushroom while winner Panda was unmasked to be Neighbours star and Torn singer Natalie Imbruglia.
Charlotte's big reveal had to be the show's worst-kept secret as everyone in Wales seemed to know she was behind Mushroom. Charlotte beat off stiff competition in the final in the form of Westlife singer Mark Feehily as Robobunny to claim the runner-up spot.
Many guessed the singer-songwriter after the Welsh clue: "I stole the show from my modryb." Explaining this after her reveal, Charlotte referenced her time on the Jonathan Ross show where she stole the limelight from her aunt. Modryb is Welsh for auntie.
Another major clue for Charlotte came in the form of a number, after fans linked the digits that appeared to a Welsh word. A fan explained at the time: "Watching The Masked Singer UK and I think I worked out who Mushroom is through those numbers - 345997. On a phone keypad, e g l w y s - Cymraeg am 'Church'. It HAS to be @charlottechurch! Even Mo thinks so!! Or maybe I'm overthinking this…"
S3 Traffic Cone - Aled Jones
Season three also welcomed another Welsh star. Aled Jones, known for Walking in the Air, made it to the semi-final of the 2022 competition as Traffic Cone.
The classical singer managed to totally pull the wool over the judging panel's eyes as they were gobsmacked during his big reveal. Some of the judges, and viewers, had been convinced Traffic Cone was Bradley Walsh, whilst other names thrown into the hat included Michael Ball, Robbie Williams and Alfie Boe.
Speaking to host Joel Dommett after his unmasking, Aled joked: "Can I go back to singing classical songs now?"
S1 Octopus - Katherine Jenkins
Season two had no Welsh contestants but Katherine Jenkins wowed audiences and judges as Octopus in season one. The singer, from Neath, made it through to the final and came third on the show.
After being unmasked Katherine admitted she had been keeping her striking operatic tones hidden away until later in the show and had been feigning an American accent. She revealed her costume choice was the perfect way to match her daughter's love of Blue Planet.
She said: "She loves blue planet, she loves Little Mermaid, she loves the colour purple and any time I came out as the octopus I felt like I was singing to her. I'm not going to get emotional..."
The Masked Dancer S2 Pig - Joanna Page
Not The Masked Singer but Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page did take part in the show's sister series, The Masked Dancer. Joanna competed in the 2022 series and managed to completely bamboozle the panel, with guesses including Frankie Dettori and Richard Hammond.
"You were all absolutely miles away," Joel Dommett told the judges as Joanna took off her mask in the second episode. Asked what she thought of the guesses, Joanna said: "Oh my goodness, really quite funny.
"I was quite pleased you all thought I was a man." The actress then revealed the number 47 was a big clue as it was the Barry house her character lived in on Gavin and Stacey.
In a sweet moment, Joanna then shared that her kids were unaware she was doing The Masked Dancer. She said: "The children don't know or anything, this is their favourite programme."
Do you think there could be a Welsh star in The Masked Singer UK 2023 final? Let us know in the comments!
The Masked Singer UK final airs on Saturday, February 18 at 7pm. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
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- The Masked Singer 2023: Who is Phoenix? All the clues and theories so far
