The Masked Singer's Justin Hawkins felt "isolated" during show
The Masked Singer may be one of the most fun and bonkers shows on TV right now but one of the contestants on the singing competition has revealed that taking part in the talent show was actually "isolating".
Justin Hawkins, the lead singer of rock band The Darkness, was the third contestant to exit the competition with his chameleon costume.
He has now told The Daily Star that due to the importance of keeping peoples' identities secret on the show, he didn't get to speak to the other contestants while taking part – and he really missed the social interaction.
"It was a lonely, lonely time," he admitted. "You just sort of... it was very isolating, I was very isolated."
He added that security measures were so strict on the show to prevent contestant identities from being revealed that there was "no chat" at all among the famous faces taking part.
"We were transported in blacked-out cars," he said. "Everybody stayed in different hotels – they were very, very careful nobody bumped into each other outside of the studio as well, and everyone had separate soundproofed dressing rooms.
"Nobody was allowed to show any flesh or hair, so you have to wear a balaclava and a hoodie, and a visor like a wielding mask almost."
Related: How The Masked Singer could fix its biggest issues
But it wasn't all bad, as he did get to speak to the people behind the scenes at least.
"I really enjoyed working with the costume people and the vocal coaches, and the production lot. It was very professional," he said. "Especially with the privacy stuff, they were very strict about that. It was fun to be a part of."
The Masked Singer, which is based on a South Korean concept, sees celebrities singing in elaborate costumes to disguise their identities, before the judges – Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora, Ken Jeong and Davina McCall – have to guess their true identity.
This week saw another contestant's identity revealed, as a former footballer was exposed as being beneath the Tree costume.
The Masked Singer airs on ITV.
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