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A Masked Singer contestant left judges in shock after they stormed off stage before their identity was revealed on Saturday (11 January).
The ITV gameshow returned last week (4 January) with host Joel Dommett, panellists Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan alongside a new judge, Love Island presenter Maya Jama.
The show features celebrities performing while disguised in elaborate costumes, as the panel of judges decipher their real identities based on their voices and a series of clues.
Earlier this week, reports suggested that chaos had ensued following the awkward event, and now it has been revealed that Grammy Award-winning singer Macy Gray was the celebrity in question.
After reaching the final two, Gray was axed by judges, despite most of the panel guessing her identity correctly.
The “I Try” musician walked off stage at the announcement as Dommett appeared confused, and judges were left open-mouthed in shock.
Dressed as Toad in the Hole, she was eventually brought back to the stage after a chat with crew, to cheers and kind words from the panel who praised her “beautiful” singing voice.
However, she was visibly upset and stone-faced as she gave one-word answers to questions and nodded after her identity was revealed. Gray appeared to have tears in her eyes, as Jama told her she was a huge fan of her music growing up.
Ross appeared to try to lighten the mood and got a smile out of the singer as he asked her how it felt to dress up in the costume.
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“You know, I’ve been singing for a long time, and now I’m a toad,” she said, shrugging.
Reports about the event came after host Dommett recounted someone “storming off” stage during filming for the new series, but he admitted that he wasn’t sure if the moment would ever make it to screens.
Speaking in an interview with Principle Magazine, Dommett said: “One of the characters gets voted off and they are really not happy about it. Like genuinely. They were really upset that they did not win it.”
He added: “There’s something hilarious about seeing someone in a massive costume storm off. What they’re gonna show of it, I have no idea. But even if they don’t show it, I know, and that’s amazing.”
An audience member told The Sun: “Usually the celeb with the lowest votes takes off their mask and then chats to the panel and sings again.”
They continued: “But instead this character turned around and shuffled off stage, which was hilarious in their costume obviously – but we were all stunned.
“We knew something was going on because we saw lots of to-ing and fro-ing with crew before the person eventually came back on stage.”
