There was a shock as the latest celebrity was unmasked on the zany ITV singing contest The Masked Singer. On tonight’s instalment of The Masked Singer (January 28) Knitting, Jellyfish, Otter, Phoenix, Fawn, Jacket Potato, Pigeon and Rhino took to the stage to sing in disguise on a mission to stump the panel and viewers alike.
Pigeon became the next character to be unmasked, and they were revealed to be Canadian comedian and actress Katherine Ryan. Guesses for the character, because of the character's accent, had included The Only Way Is Essex icon Gemma Collins.
Katherine said about using an accent as part of her disguise: “I can only do a sort of Essex accent because I watch so much reality TV.” The 39-year-old star was told by the judges that the accent had thrown them.
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Katherine also kept it a secret from her fellow The Masked Singer fan daughter Violet, 13. She said: “You can’t tell my daughter anything because she’d spill it to her whole school so she’ll be finding out with everyone else. We watch the show together.”
There were also gasps in the studio when Katherine revealed that she was a month away from giving birth during her stint on the show. She told host Joel Dommett: "I have a month left. I have a baby's foot in my lung at most times." Scott McGlynn tweeted: "I'm shocked"
@CerealKillerStu exclaimed: "WHAT???? I absolutely didn't see that coming - Katherine Ryan!" @HW_247 wrote: "No way has #TheMaskedSinger done us all like this @Kathbum you are a bloody legend." And @VanessaJ2Inspmy commented: "Wow!! Katherine Ryan. Was convinced Pigeon was the GC."
Katherine gave birth to her third child, a baby girl named Fenna Grace on December 16, with her husband Bobby Kootstra announcing the news on Instagram. He typed: "Fenna Grace Kootstra Dec 16, at 12:05am. Mom is incredible! Proving her strength repeatedly through the relatively lengthy delivery at home. We are so blessed:) @kathbum." Katherine also has son Fred, who was born in June 2021.
Asked about her character, she saw Pigeon as a "sassy nana" and an "East End bird. A real grafter. And crucially, a fan of hip hop who can bust a move."
She 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."
The Masked Singer, Saturdays at 7pm on ITV1 & ITVX
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