Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting our website.

The Masked Singer 2022: Loose Women’s Gloria Hunniford, 81, is unveiled as Snow Leopard

The Masked Singer 2022: Loose Women's Gloria Hunniford, 81, is unveiled as Snow Leopard 2

Gloria Hunniford was unveiled as Snow Leopard on Sunday’s episode of The Masked Singer.

The Loose Women panelist and TV presenter, 81, surprised the judging panel when she removed the headpiece of her elaborate costume and told how she had ‘couldn’t believe it’ when she was asked to take part in the show. 

Gloria belted out Shirley Bassey’s iconic hit Big Spender but it wasn’t enough to get through to the next round.  

Star: Gloria Hunniford was unveiled as Snow Leopard on Sunday's episode of The Masked Singer

Star: Gloria Hunniford was unveiled as Snow Leopard on Sunday’s episode of The Masked Singer

The ITV singing competition is back for a third series with Davina, Rita, Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross returning to the judging chairs while Joel Dommett is back as host.  

The second six contestants were split into three face offs, with Traffic Cone battling against Rockhopper, Poodle singing against Snow Leopard and Panda going up against Bagpipes. 

Speaking after being unveiled Gloria said: ‘You know Jonathon Ross next time I get you behind a microphone watch out! Because you’re too clever! 

‘I started to sing when I was seven, it was pre-Tv days. I was making a few records but I haven’t sang on stage for 27 years.

Here she is! The Loose Women panelist and TV presenter, 81, surprised the judging panel when she removed the headpiece of her elaborate costume

Here she is! The Loose Women panelist and TV presenter, 81, surprised the judging panel when she removed the headpiece of her elaborate costume

Bye: Gloria belted out Shirley Bassey's iconic hit Big Spender but it wasn't enough to get through to the next round

Bye: Gloria belted out Shirley Bassey’s iconic hit Big Spender but it wasn’t enough to get through to the next round

Yay: The ITV singing competition is back for a third series with Davina, Rita, Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross returning to the judging chairs while Joel Dommett is back as host

Yay: The ITV singing competition is back for a third series with Davina, Rita, Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross returning to the judging chairs while Joel Dommett is back as host

Speaking after being unveiled Gloria said: ''I started to sing when I was seven, it was pre-Tv days. I was making a few records but I haven't sang on stage for 27 years!'

Speaking after being unveiled Gloria said: ”I started to sing when I was seven, it was pre-Tv days. I was making a few records but I haven’t sang on stage for 27 years!’

‘I genuinely love this programme. I couldn’t believe it when I was asked to take part!’

Rockhopper sang a rousing rendition of Higher Love by Whitney Houston while Traffic Cone sang Rick Astley’s hit Never Gonna Give You Up and Poodle belted out Rocket Man. 

Meanwhile Panda sang Levitating by Dua Lipa and Bagpipes chose to sing Blur’s hit Song 2. 

Rockhopper, Snow Leopard and Bagpipes ended up in the bottom three after the in-studio audience cast their votes. The judges then saved Rockhopper and Bagpipes.

Animal: Elsewhere on the show Poodle belted out Rocket Man and looked hilarious in the huge pink and blue costume

Animal: Elsewhere on the show Poodle belted out Rocket Man and looked hilarious in the huge pink and blue costume

Here we go! Panda sang Levitating by Dua Lipa and the judges guessed that it could be actress Emily Blunt

Here we go! Panda sang Levitating by Dua Lipa and the judges guessed that it could be actress Emily Blunt 

When asked if she had watched the show before in her exit interview, Gloria said: ‘I have indeed. I have watched both series because I was very intrigued as it has many layers as a programme.’

She went on to detail her favourite past character, saying: ‘Swan was a lovely costume. I like the prettier ones. Swan was a very intricate costume (although) I suspect it was hard to wear.’

Asked what made her decide to take on the challenge, she answered: ‘It was exactly that. I’m of a certain age and it was a challenge. It sounded like a lot of fun and I thought I’d like to try it.’ 

Funny character: Traffic Cone sang Rick Astley's hit Never Gonna Give You Up and delighted the judges

Funny character: Traffic Cone sang Rick Astley’s hit Never Gonna Give You Up and delighted the judges

Impressive: Rockhopper sang a rousing rendition of Higher Love by Whitney Houston as they took to the stage

Impressive: Rockhopper sang a rousing rendition of Higher Love by Whitney Houston as they took to the stage 

She also discussed how difficult it was to keep the secret, saying: ‘Very very hard. Even to this day only three people in my family know. You get the point that you are so afraid of mentioning it that as time passes, you look back and think did I actually do that. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished show.’

She then chatted about who would be most surprised by her big reveal: ‘I think they are all going to be absolutely amazed, particularly my rather grown up grandchildren, because they wouldn’t have heard me do anything like that before or seen me do anything like that before. 

‘I only sing occasionally and after a few glasses of wine so they wouldn’t be expecting anything. I think it will be amazing. ‘

She added of her outfit: ‘I loved the character and I loved the whole costume. I think the costume people are utterly breathtakingly amazing and I loved it.’ 

Guessing: The judges suggested it could be someone who had starred in the film The Greatest Showman

Guessing: The judges suggested it could be someone who had starred in the film The Greatest Showman

Interesting costume: Bagpipes chose to sing Blur's hit Song 2 and gave an energetic dance

Interesting costume: Bagpipes chose to sing Blur’s hit Song 2 and gave an energetic dance

It comes after Heather Small was unveiled as Chandelier on Saturday’s episode of the show. 

British soul singer, 56, shocked the judges after she removed her costume and told how she had always wanted to ‘give the show a go’ as it looks ‘so much fun’.  

Heather took to the stage and performed Crazy by Patsy Cline but wasn’t saved by the audience or the judges. 

There she is! It comes after Heather Small was unveiled as Chandelier on Saturday's episode of the show

There she is! It comes after Heather Small was unveiled as Chandelier on Saturday’s episode of the show

The first six contestants were split into three face offs, with Mushroom battling against Robobunny, Donut singing against Chandelier and Firework going up against Lionfish. 

Mushroom, Chandelier and Firework ended up in the bottom three after a tense audience vote. The judges then saved Mushroom and Firework leaving Heather to be unmasked. 

Speaking after her unveiling Heather said: ‘I have been told I have quite a distinctive voice. I decided to do it because I saw Gabrielle on the show and decided to give it a go as it looked so much fun!’

Who's that? British soul singer, 56, shocked the judges after she removed her costume and told how she had always wanted to 'give the show a go' as it looks 'so much fun'

Who’s that? British soul singer, 56, shocked the judges after she removed her costume and told how she had always wanted to ‘give the show a go’ as it looks ‘so much fun’

On the show Donut gave a rousing performance of Eye of The Tiger, Lionfish performed an opera song and Firework sang Jessie J’s hit Domino. 

Meanwhile Mushroom sang It’s Oh So Quiet by Betty Hutton and Robobunny impressed with a rendition of Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston. 

Heather is a British soul singer and former lead singer of the band M People. 

First out: Heather took to the stage and performed Crazy by Patsy Cline, but it wasn't enough to get her through to the next round

First out: Heather took to the stage and performed Crazy by Patsy Cline, but it wasn’t enough to get her through to the next round

Her subsequent debut solo album, Proud, was released in 2000 and she was also a contestant on the British television show, Strictly Come Dancing, in 2008.   

ITV have unveiled a brand new line-up of monsters performing in the new series, with a brand new cast of 12 celebrities stepping up to the challenge.

Snow Leopard, Traffic Cone, Panda, Rockhopper, Poodle and Bagpipes will all compete in the hope to join Queen Bee (Nicola Roberts) and Sausage (Joss Stone) in the exclusive Masked Singer winners’ club.

Robobunny, Firework, Doughnuts, Chandelier, Mushroom and Lion Fish are others characters set to take to the stage to sing.    

Happy: Speaking after her unveiling Heather said: 'I have been told I have quite a distinctive voice. I decided to do it because I saw Gabrielle on the show and decided to give it a go as it looked so much fun!'

Happy: Speaking after her unveiling Heather said: ‘I have been told I have quite a distinctive voice. I decided to do it because I saw Gabrielle on the show and decided to give it a go as it looked so much fun!’

Earlier this month it was revealed that both Davina and Rita had people they know take part in the show.  

Speaking to MailOnline, Davina and Joel revealed someone Rita knows ‘quite personally’ was among the contestants while Davina found it ‘weird’ to see someone she knew, but neither of them correctly guessed their friends identities. 

Davina said: ‘What might be a massive name for Mo might not be a massive name for me and vice versa. 

‘There’s a big name for me, there’s a big name for Mo. He couldn’t believe it. There was someone I know, that was quite weird.’

Exciting: The first six contestants were split into three face offs, with Mushroom battling against Robobunny, Donut singing against Chandelier and Firework (pictured) going up against Lionfish

Exciting: The first six contestants were split into three face offs, with Mushroom battling against Robobunny, Donut singing against Chandelier and Firework (pictured) going up against Lionfish

Joel added: ‘Someone Rita knows quite personally.’   

When asked if she guessed her friend, Joel replied: ‘No, absolutely not, it was a huge shock. It was brilliant.’ 

Davina said she managed to guess one contestant on this year’s series correctly, with Joel adding: ‘Everyone including myself, thought it was the other person.’

Rita is returning to the judging panel after she didn’t take part in the first series of The Masked Dancer, where she was replaced with Oti Mabuse. 

The singer filmed the last series of The Masked Singer in September 2020 before she had to apologise for breaking Covid rules after throwing a birthday party in and jetting to Egypt.

Wow: Robobunny (pictured) impressed with a rendition of Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston

Wow: Robobunny (pictured) impressed with a rendition of Saving All My Love for You by Whitney Houston

A source close to Rita claimed the snub had nothing to do with the rule break and was a scheduling issue, telling MailOnline: ‘It’s common knowledge that she’s in Australia and will be filming The Voice for the next few months.’ 

Speaking about the popularity of the show, Davina reckons it comes down to its appeal across age groups.  

She said: ‘I’ve noticed that you’ve got five-year-olds and eighty-five-year-olds and they’re all having a blast. 

‘Even if you’ve no idea who they are, you can keep on with the guessing game.’

New characters: Lionfish performed an opera song and shocked the judges with their impressive vocals

New characters: Lionfish performed an opera song and shocked the judges with their impressive vocals 

Joel added: ‘I don’t think there’s been a show that appeals to such a wide demographic before.’

‘Everyone one of us, it appeals to different people. ITV have to appeal to a wide range of people. That’s the beauty of the bookings.’ 

Highlights from previous shows include a dragon’s emotional rendition of Adele’s Make You Feel My Love (Sue Perkins) and a leather-clad biking badger’s performance of Wrecking Ball (Ne-Yo). 

Ahead of the show launch, Joel, 36, gushed this is the ‘best series yet.’ 

Funny costume: Donut gave a rousing performance of Eye of The Tiger and was then voted for by the audience

Funny costume: Donut gave a rousing performance of Eye of The Tiger and was then voted for by the audience

‘Having an audience has really changed everything. The energy in the studio has stepped up a notch and having full families in front of you enjoying it in the same way they enjoy it in their lounge is super important. It’s made it the best series yet,’ he said. 

Of getting quizzed on who’s who, Joel quipped: ‘I get asked all the time, ‘who’s sausage then?’ I just have to run away. Basically, when the show is on television I just hide in my house. It’s not worth going out.’  

Stand-up comedian Mo, 33, explained how the celebrities are upping their game.

‘I think what it is now is that people have seen the show so they’re trying to change the way they speak, they might put an accent on to throw us off. They’re even changing the way they sing now. 

Interesting: Meanwhile Mushroom sang It's Oh So Quiet by Betty Hutton but still ended up in the bottom three

Interesting: Meanwhile Mushroom sang It’s Oh So Quiet by Betty Hutton but still ended up in the bottom three

‘People are really upping their game to not be sussed out so soon.’ 

The show’s inclusivity is what makes it so widely watched, presenter Davina, 54, believes. 

‘I don’t know any other show that’s as inclusive as this show and I don’t think any of us expected it to be like that when it started but that’s just how it turned out. I mean there’s something in it for everyone, it’s just really one great big game of guess who. It’s just so fun.’

Reunited: The Masked Singer judging panel had a reunion with some old friends on the new series as both Davina and Rita had people they know take part

Reunited: The Masked Singer judging panel had a reunion with some old friends on the new series as both Davina and Rita had people they know take part

Pop star Rita, 31, enjoys the element of ‘going in blind.’   

‘I tend to try and remind myself of names and things, just to refresh my brain but there is no real way of setting yourself up because it could be anybody. It’s fun going in blind actually,’ she said.  

Veteran broadcaster and presenter Jonathan, 61, gave the low-down on the competition between the panel. 

‘It’s quite hot in some ways. We all pretend it doesn’t matter. Rita’s the one who wants to really win this series, she won the last two, I think she feels going for the hat trick is a prize worth getting. So far, I think she’s doing the worst out of all of us and that’s quite delightful. 

‘I think I’m doing the best at the moment against all odds, but that won’t last.’  

The Masked Singer premiered on ITV on January 1.  

Interview: Speaking to MailOnline, Davina and host Joel revealed someone Rita knows 'quite personally' was among the contestants while Davina found it 'weird' to see someone she knew, but neither of them correctly guessed their friends identities

Interview: Speaking to MailOnline, Davina and host Joel revealed someone Rita knows ‘quite personally’ was among the contestants while Davina found it ‘weird’ to see someone she knew, but neither of them correctly guessed their friends identities

About The Author