Justin Hawkins from The Darkness has been unmasked as Chameleon on The Masked Singer, leaving Rita Ora flustered.
The Brit Award winner’s identity was revealed after he failed to impress the panel of judges with his rendition of True Colors by Cyndi Lauper, and progress through to the next round.
Rita Ora was left flustered, saying: “This has just blown me away.”
UNMASKED AT LAST 🦎 Watch the EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW on our YouTube Channel now 👉 https://t.co/lXp8gHsHml pic.twitter.com/9XM6DjYYUw
— The Masked Singer UK (@MaskedSingerUK) January 11, 2020
The pop star had been very complimentary of Chameleon’s physique, even guessing it was boxer Anthony Joshua under the glittery mask.
And during one of his performances, she had accepted a rose from the masked musician.
Hawkins quipped: “I was very pleased with the panel’s observations about my physique. It was so very flattering.”
The singer, famed for his falsetto, said he had decided to take part “because I wanted to show you guys I was still alive”.
His band released their sixth album, Easter Is Cancelled, in October last year, and earlier this week debuted a new music video featuring Abbey Clancy as a harp-playing winged angel.
ITV’s The Masked Singer, which debuted last week, sees celebrities and public figures compete dressed in elaborate outfits which conceal their identity.
Hawkins said he used a combination of “bluffery, bare faced lies and vague muttering” to explain to friends and family why he had disappeared for the duration of filming.
He added: “The toughest part of the process was learning relatively modern songs.
“I’m not fond of new music, so I had to force myself to assimilate inferior compositions… Plus it was difficult to sing from within a helmet!”
The judging panel of Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Ken Jeong and pop star Ora failed to guess his identity despite a series of clues.
True Colors sounds EVEN BETTER a second time 😍 Watch Chameleon's UNMASKED PERFORMANCE on YouTube now 👉 https://t.co/VDnQtSaa2F pic.twitter.com/YidlhvgqlP
— The Masked Singer UK (@MaskedSingerUK) January 11, 2020
“I spent a lot of money on some very silly things” referred to the £150,000 he famously spent on hedonism during The Darkness’ heyday.
Before he was unmasked, McCall suggested he was Curtis Pritchard from Love Island, while Ross thought he was EastEnders star Richard Blackwood.
Hawkins is the third celebrity to be unmasked on the show, after former home secretary Alan Johnson was revealed to be Pharoah, and Patsy Palmer as Butterfly.
The Masked Singer, hosted by comedian Joel Dommett, continues on ITV.