Katherine Ryan ‘flattered’ to be mistaken for Gemma Collins and Stacey Solomon on The Masked Singer
Katherine Ryan has been unmasked as Pigeon on The Masked Singer, and said she was "flattered" to be mistaken for Gemma Collins and Stacey Solomon.
The comedian had kept the panel fooled by using a convincing Essex accent when she performed as Pigeon, a grandmother who liked to rap.
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Many of the panel had guessed that she was Essex natives Collins and Solomon, which Canadian Ryan - who now lives in the UK - said was the ultimate compliment.
She said: "I was flattered that the panel thought I might actually be from Essex like Gemma Collins or Stacey Solomon.
"They even guessed Maya Jama which - to be honest - I’m mistaken for often even without a mask. We are very similar. Both stunning and talented."
Speaking after being unmasked on Saturday, Ryan said: "I can only do a sort of Essex accent because I watch so much reality TV."
The 39-year-old, who gave birth to her third child in December, said that a big part of why she chose her costume had been its ability to disguise her baby bump.
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Ryan said: "I was quite pregnant while filming and I thought the big pigeon costume would hide that.
"It was important for me that the character had a face because some of them don’t, but I personally connect better to the characters with faces. I felt like it was important to represent a strong pensioner and I loved that Pigeon was all comedy and not trying to be attractive for anyone else."
She added of her Masked Singer experience: "I’m not capable of getting nervous. I don’t know why.
"It was certainly harder to sing and breathe being pregnant and inside the costume, but it wasn’t claustrophobic for me or uncomfortable at all. I quite enjoyed the solitude in there.
"I was just excited to perform, and they say that being nervous and being excited are very similar emotions chemically."