Davina McCall stunned viewers and fellow judges alike when she was unveiled as the Star on The Masked Singer Christmas special, just weeks after undergoing brain surgery.
The 57-year-old presenter, who has been a judge on the ITV singing contest for six years, swapped her usual seat on the panel for a spectacular costume in what she called “the maddest ruse” of her life.
The surprise appearance came shortly after McCall’s successful operation to remove a rare 14mm-wide benign tumour, a colloid cyst, from her brain in November.
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders had joined the panel in her supposed absence.
McCall performed two festive favourites, wowing the audience with renditions of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and This Christmas.
The TV personality impressed the panel with her singing abilities, leaving them convinced Star’s voice was too good to be hers.
Davina McCall as unmasked as the Star on the Christmas special
ITV
Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan stood to applaud her performance, with Ross declaring: “There is absolutely no way, we thought you couldn’t sing that well. I’m glad you’re OK, but to me, you are now dead.”
After the reveal, McCall changed into a sparkling red dress to join her fellow judges for the remainder of the show.
Host Joel Dommett revealed McCall’s elaborate deception, saying: “She lied to me right to my face. She texted me and said that she had severe diarrhoea but she did no – in fact, she was in a costume. Livid! I’ll never trust her again.”
The presenter went to extraordinary lengths to maintain the secret, even keeping it from her children throughout the summer.
Davina McCall shared her excitement on her Instagram page
“Twice Holly and Chester asked me why I was singing Christmas songs,” McCall admitted.
She managed to conceal her identity by coordinating with the production team, even avoiding her usual deodorant and perfume and adopting a voice inspired by her sister-in-law from Virginia.
McCall expressed her joy at the experience, stating: “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.”
The presenter revealed she has booked a singing lesson following the show. “I’m going to carry on singing. Just for myself, not to sing anywhere or do anything but just because I loved it!” she said.
The Christmas special concluded with Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Holly Johnson, performing as Nutcracker, being crowned the winner.
Fans celebrated the surprise reveal on social media, with some calling it “the best unmasking ever”.
The singer has recently undergone brain surgery
ITV
McCall also shared her delight as she managed to pull off the surprise, and penned on her X account: “Thank you @MaskedSingerUK for asking me x you literally made my dream come true.
“Loved every second . There was so much going on in my life at that time . Surgery was just over a month away … but this was the BEST distraction EVER !!!! Thank you so so so so much.” (sic)
