80s pop idol and musical star go home in Masked Singer double elimination

A 1980s pop idol and a musical star have become the latest celebrities to go home from The Masked Singer.

The ITV1 series, which sees celebrities sing while wearing elaborate costumes before they are revealed, had its semi-final episode on Sunday.

US pop singer Tiffany Darwish, known as Tiffany, was unmasked as Eiffel Tower while Air Fryer was revealed as American musical theatre star Keala Settle.

“Thank you so much, it’s been so great, thank you all,” Tiffany said.

Instead of re-singing a track as contestants usually do before leaving, Tiffany performed her number one hit I Think We’re Alone Now after being asked by Jonathan Ross – who sits on the judging panel which tries to work out who the masked celebrities could be.

After performing her 1987 cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells song, the 52-year-old said: “The best thing is the surprise of no one knowing who I was, so you can just sing and relax.

“But then, the worst thing is, none of that happens. It’s very nerve-racking. I had a blast with all of it. It was quite magical.”

Tiffany also said she is “a huge fan of the show” and is thinking of lighting-up her own costumes when she returns home,

Settle told the judges they did not make “many close” guesses, even though one of the hints pointed to her Golden Globe win for the musical The Greatest Showman.

When she was unmasked, the 48-year-old actress and singer said she was “pleased and privileged to be able to do it” and there had been no physical difficulty with her square-shaped outfit.

Settle said: “You have this facade that you’re used to, you know, performing, being that person, and when this is off? That’s off, this is what they’re looking for.

“It was a massive learning experience and it was a game changer.”

She also appeared surprised that a previous guest judge, comedienne and Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders, did not guess her identity before the semi-final as they had starred together in a London musical adaption of Sister Act.

Comedian Mo Gilligan said Settle’s performance was “absolutely phenomenal” before adding: “Some of the songs you were singing, it was almost like this show could go on for, like, 10 years and we would never know.”

The latest guest panellist was ITV presenter Lorraine Kelly, who was revealed to be the singer Owl on a previous episode.

She joined the main panel – TV presenter Davina McCall, singer Rita Ora, Gilligan and Ross – for the pre-recorded show.

Next week, the grand final will reveal the stars behind the outfits of Piranha, Cricket and Bigfoot, and the panel will be joined by comedian Rob Brydon with a cameo by Doctor Who actor David Tennant.