Two contestants narrowly miss out on place in The Masked Singer UK final
By Naomi Clarke, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Rapper Example and EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy have missed out on a place in The Masked Singer UK final after being eliminated from the reality show.
The musician and producer, real name Elliot Gleave, was unveiled as the celebrity behind the Bear mask when he was voted out after the five remaining contestants performed during Saturday’s semi-final.
After the masked famous faces sang for a second time, actress Cassidy was eliminated from the show and unmasked as Bush.
Example delivered a soulful performance of She by Elvis Costello during the show, with Love Island host Maya Jama correctly guessing it was the musician and record producer.
Fellow panellist broadcaster Jonathan Ross thought it could be documentary maker Louis Theroux, presenter Davina McCall opted for comedian Romesh Ranganathan and guest panellist Richard E Grant chose Shakespeare In Love actor Joseph Fiennes.
After being unmasked, Example said he knew he had to “do something different every week” as his usual singing voice was too distinctive.
He added that the experience had been “great” and explained that some of his clues had been obscure as he has “done so many weird, random things over a 20-year career”.
During the show, Cassidy gave a joyful rendition of Abba classic Thank You For The Music for her first performance and sang Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb for her second.
Grant thought it could be Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes behind the mask and Jama went down the actress route as well with EastEnders’ Maisie Smith, which Ross agreed to before opting for Coronation Street star Angela Griffin, while McCall went for comic Morgana Robinson.
Following her reveal, the actress said: “It’s been one of the best jobs I’ve ever done.”
Cassidy, best known for her long-running role as Sonia Fowler in BBC soap EastEnders, added: “I think my little one will love it. My little Alfie, my great nephew, loves the show, so he’s going to be thrilled.
“And I think my 14-year-old is going to go either way. She’s either going to say ‘Mum I’m really proud of you’ or ‘This is the most embarrassing thing’.”
The semi-final kicked off on Saturday by Wolf releasing their inner rocker with a rendition of Rebel Yell by Billy Idol.
Jama guessed it could be Blue singer Lee Ryan behind the mask due to singing and acting references, while Ross thought it could be US star Adam Lambert and Grant opted for singer Billy Idol himself.
They later performed a stripped back version of Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House, with Ross thinking the experience could mean it was singer Sir Cliff Richard.
Dressed Crab showed off their powerful vocals as they took on Suddenly by Billy Ocean for their first song, with their second being a lively version of Hit The Road Jack by Ray Charles, which made Ross consider it could be US star John Legend.
Meanwhile, McCall and Jama were both convinced it was either US actor and singer Billy Porter or Grammy winner Gregory Porter.
Pufferfish delivered a gentle rendition of Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? with Jama describing them as having the “voice of an angel” and leading her to guess it could be Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger.
The contestant showed off their vocal range further in their second song by performing One Night Only by Jennifer Hudson.
Ross thought US actress Lea Michele could be behind the powerful vocals, while Grant opted for Bridget Jones’s Diary star Renee Zellweger and McCall went with actress Samantha Barks, who starred as Elsa in the West End production of Frozen.
Last week two contestants were eliminated in a double unmasking ahead of the semi-final, with Kingfisher revealed as Sir Grayson Perry while singer Andrea Corr of The Corrs was unveiled as Snail.
Dressed Crab, Pufferfish and Wolf will compete in the grand finale next week.
The Masked Singer, hosted by Joel Dommett, continues on Saturdays on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
