Davina McCall has opened up about her secret switch from judge to performer on The Masked Singer, calling it “the maddest ruse” and “one of the greatest experiences of my life”. The TV favourite, who’s been a staple on the ITV talent show’s panel for five seasons, couldn’t resist the chance to appear in the Christmas special that aired on Boxing Day, ticking off a dream moment.
Disguised as a Star, Davina belted out festive tunes ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ and ‘This Christmas’, leaving co-panellists Jonathan Ross, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, and Mo Gilligan none the wiser. “It was one of the greatest experiences of my life so far,” she gushed. “It was just the maddest ruse I have ever done. I didn’t expect to enjoy the whole process of singing as much as I did.”
She’s even booked a singing lesson post-show because she adored singing so much, though she insists it’s just for personal pleasure. To keep her identity under wraps, she even skipped her usual deodorant and perfume to avoid detection by scent and adopted a US accent inspired by her sister-in-law from Virginia, with a touch of Dolly Parton.
As she sang, Davina reflected on the significance of Christmas, especially after undergoing brain surgery to remove a rare benign tumour in November. “I was trying to convey what the songs meant to me and this Christmas is going to be a very important and special Christmas for me and it will have extra special meaning. I was really thinking about that when I was singing,” she said.
The “big” tumour, known as a colloid cyst, which was 14mm wide, was discovered after Davina underwent a health check-up as part of her menopause advocacy work. She had it removed in mid-November through a craniotomy, a surgical procedure to temporarily remove part of the skull, and has since proudly displayed her scar which stretched across the front of her head near her hairline.
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After her Masked Singer appearance, Davina confirmed it would not mark the beginning of a music career despite experiencing an “amazing feeling of euphoria” during her performances. “I loved the emotion behind singing, it makes me very emotional and I love that feeling,” she said.
“I always wanted to sound like a kind of soul singer, Rihanna or somebody like that. Actually I realised I’m much better at singing Disney musicals. I realise now that I’ll never be the singer that I thought I could have been.”
Davina added that she “loved” her costume. “Star was the sweetest, I literally fell in love with Star,” she said. “The way that I had to find a way to express myself without being able to move my arms or legs. All I could do was wiggle and run with my little legs and jump up and down at the same time or hop. It was really funny.”
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Comedian and The Masked Singer host Joel Dommett was left gobsmacked, admitting he “absolutely did not know” it was Davina behind the mask, calling it “the most shocking reveal so far” He humorously recounts how she tricked him: “She lied to me right to my face. She texted me and said that she had severe diarrhoea but she did not, in fact she was in a costume.”
“Livid! I’ll never trust her again,” he quipped. Last year proved big for the former Big Brother presenter as she was honoured with an MBE for services to broadcasting and celebrated for her extensive career picking up the special recognition award at the National Television Awards earlier this year, along with an honorary degree from Newcastle University for her dedication to women’s health issues.
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