The Masked Singer's Heather Small almost unmasked by her 'snooping' mum before ITV exit

It was tough for T he Masked Singer’ s Chandelier to keep her mother in the dark about her being on the show.

M People’s Heather Small had to smuggle home the balaclava and hoodie emblazoned with 'Don’t Talk to Me - which contestants must wear backstage - so her 'snooping' mother would not find out.

“It was a cat and mouse game,” she says of her 'bloodhound' mother, who lives with her, and had to hide show paraphernalia in her bedroom to keep mum about taking part.

“She has a tendency, if she sees a bag in the house, to go snooping,” laughs Heather, 56.

“Every bag is fair game. There was a lot of paraphernalia, balaclavas, hoodies -MI5 have nothing on these people.

Heather found it hard to keep her ITV stint a secret from her mum (ITV)

"So when I came home I had to quickly go upstairs.”

The 90s singer – famed for hits like Moving On Up and Proud – was unmasked on Saturday, after disguising her voice to the judging panel of Davina McCall, Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan.

But there was no pulling the giant, glass boat hat over mum’s eyes.

“You can fool a lot of people, but you can’t fool your mother,” she laughed.

Heather became the first celebrity to be unmasked on the new series (ITV)

Heather became the first contestant to be unmasked in the latest series following her performance of the country music standard Crazy, released by Patsy Cline in 1961.

And following her elimination from the show - which sees celebrities perform whilst in elaborate disguises - Heather has opened up about her fears going into the experience.

The singer has admitted that she had been worried that she might embarrass herself or even ruin her reputation on the show.

Chandelier was unmasked as Heather Small on the Masked Singer (ITV)

Heather commented following her exit: "I don't see it as a singing show. I see it as a guessing game."

She said: "So for me it was that I didn't want people to think 'oh my good grief – that Chandelier is terrible' [or] 'obviously that Chandelier is a footballer.' I wanted people to think I was a singer."

The Strictly Come Dancing alum added: "So that was the thing. I was like, 'oh my God, I'll do in my reputation in an hour's show.' You think about these things."

The Masked Singer continues on Saturday at 7pm on ITV.