Well-respected soul singer and former lead vocalist of the band M People, Heather Small, has become the first to be knocked out in the third series of The Masked Singer UK.
She had performed in the first episode of the new series as 'Chandelier' and hoped to make it all the way to the final - but was voted out by the judges at the earliest opportunity.
The quirky ITV series sees celebrities don elaborate costumes and sing their hearts out to a panel of judges and a studio audience with viewers challenged to work out 'who's that behind the mask?'
Read more: The Masked Singer UK 2022 start time, line-up, judges and filming
This year's series features 12 characters in total, with six having performed on the first episode tonight (January 1) and six others performing on the second episode on January 2.
The six characters in this evening's launch show were split into three pairs, with each pair performing against each other for a coveted spot in the next round of the competition series.
Tonight's show saw Chandelier, Mushroom, Firework, Robobunny, Lionfish and Doughnuts compete - with Chandelier eventually voted out by the judging panel.
Find out about things going on where you live:
As typical for the series, when a performer is knocked out of the competition they are "un-masked" - and viewers were shocked to see Heather Small underneath the extravagant Chandelier outfit.
The 'Proud' singer, who hails from London, told judges she had disguised her voice as she's often told it's "distinctive" and wanted to make it more difficult for the judges and viewers at home to work out who she is.
Judges Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan, Jonathan Ross and Rita Ora were speechless when Heather removed her 'mask' - while hundreds of viewers took to social media to share their shock.
One Twitter user, named Adil Khan, said: "I can't believe it! Heather Small! That was a shock! I would have never guessed but then again, like Davina, I'm super bad at the guessing game! Welcome back, The Masked Singer UK."
Fellow viewer Lesley Atterwill Tweeted: "Such a shame Heather Small was voted off Masked Singer, she really has the most incredible voice when she's not trying to disguise it."
Another viewer, Simon Slater joked: "Well, I couldn't have been more wrong, yet strangely I wasn't alone! Didn't sound like Heather Small though."
Whilst fellow viewer Wez wrote: "As if Heather Small [is] out Week One, Masked Singer UK."
After her unveiling, Heather performed again - this time using her natural voice.
Earlier clues that hinted at Heather's identity also appeared on screen.
They included:
- A thermometer in Chandelier's introduction video - a nod to Heather's first band 'Hot House'
- Chandelier's comment 'I know how to chase away the darkness' in her introduction video - a reference to Heather's appearance on The Chase Celebrity
- Chandelier's comment 'I would dim my lights' in her introduction video - a hint that Heather felt she had to hide her voice whilst growing up
- Medals in the background of the video - a reference to Heather's song 'Proud' as the theme-song to the London 2012 Olympics
Did you guess Heather Small was the Chandelier? Let us know in the comments
To get the latest What's On newsletters from WalesOnline, click here
