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Gabrielle gave a Harlequin performance

ITV

Gabrielle gave a Harlequin performance

The Masked Singer continued on ITV last night with another two celebrities revealed from behind their masks.

First to take off the elaborate headgear was comedian Sue Perkins, followed by singer Gabrielle who had been entertaining as Harlequin.

Next weekend sees the grand final of The Masked Singer with Robin, Sausage and Badger all singing for the last time and ultimately revealing their true identities! And last year’s champion Nicola Roberts (Queen Bee) will return as a special guest panellist.

What made you decide to take on this challenge?

Because it was exactly that, a challenge! It was an opportunity to do something I never thought I would, I say no thank you to a lot of tv shows that just aren’t me but this was about singing and me pushing myself. This last year has been so crazy so why not making it even crazier by singing night after night dressed as a Harlequin.

How hard is it to keep the secret?

Keeping the secret isn’t too hard for me, I had to make up an excuse to be away while filming but I just said I was working and no one really asked what I was doing. My manager was with me every day so I had someone I could talk to about everything, I can’t wait for my family to find out what I have been up to.

How was the secrecy at filming?

The secrecy was crazy, I couldn’t have imagined quite how intense it would be. I had to arrive to the studio in a balaclava, a hoodie that says ‘don’t speak to me’, visor and gloves – you can’t have any skin on show at all.

You aren’t allowed to talk to 99% of the people that work on the show and rely on giving a thumbs up or shake of the head when asked questions. You have to stay in your dressing room, be escorted from A to B. It’s like a military operation, the secrecy is taken so seriously and on the first day was really overwhelming but you get used to it and it’s fun playing the game.

What did you think of your mask, your overall look and the character you got to play?

I LOVED my costume. My mask was really quite heavy but it was just fabulous and I felt so regal wearing it. I loved how the costume department changed something so slight on the mask every episode.

The costumes were all absolutely mind-blowing, the detail and work that goes into them is just crazy. As soon as I put my costume on I became ‘Harlequin’ I was aware my mask wasn’t ‘cute’ in comparison to some of the others and I didn’t want to appear too harsh so waved a lot and did heart shapes with my hands, I found it really easy to stay in character and loved that side of things.

How about the clue packages – what kind of input did you have on those and do you have a favourite nugget of information from them?

For the clues, I did an hour phone call talking about all sorts that the clues were then written from. I loved reading them and thought some of them were so hard to guess from but that’s part of the game, you have to keep the panel on their toes.

My favourite clue was the one about me turning down Prince, the panel didn’t know if I meant THE Prince or a royal prince and it was quite funny watching them trying to figure out just what it meant.

What are your thoughts on the panel and what did you think of their guesses?

I loved all of the panel, they were so lovely to me every performance which was just amazing, I am super critical of myself so to hear them saying such wonderful comments really made me want to keep going. Their guesses were lovely too.

Did you watch the first series and, if so, did you have a favourite character?

I did watch the first series and I loved it. I’ve also watched the US version, the calibre of contestants across the show, in general, is just so high and exciting, you literally just never know who is going to be revealed. I loved Duck on the first series, I thought the costume was so cute and I love Skin.

Who would be your own personal dream performer to see behind one of the masks?

It would have to be someone like Adele, she is a phenomenal singer but also, I think she would totally embrace the fun side of the show. I have never met her but she seems like such a laugh. She does have such a distinctive and wonderful voice so I know the vocal coaches would have to work so hard to disguise that but they are amazing so if anyone can they can.

How did it feel to leave at the point you left in the show?

I was actually happy to leave when I did, it felt like it was the right time for me. I had been able to sing my favourite songs by this point and I had the perfect reveal song. I also wanted to see Matt Lucas who was a special guest on the panel so for me it was a win and I left on an absolute high.

What has been your personal highlight taking part in The Masked Singer?

My highlight taking part in the show was working with and meeting the team on the show, only a few people know who you are so you actually only ever see or speak to a handful of people but everyone was just so lovely and you can tell they really care about you. It felt like a family by the time we finished filming.

If you could sum up your experience in a song title, what would it be?

I was going to say Rita Ora ‘ Hot Right Now’ as that is exactly how I felt in my costume. It was so hot, I couldn’t breathe properly and my mask got all steamy.

We filmed during a heatwave so that certainly didn’t help but actually a song to sum up my experience is Heather Small’s ‘Proud.’ I can’t believe I took the challenge and did something so out of my comfort zone, I am proud of myself… I did it and it was a crazy journey!


The Masked Singer – Finale – Saturday, ITV, STV and UTV at 7pm

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