Shirley Ballas has revealed what it was like to turn into Rat for The Masked Singer UK, revealing why she didn’t need special knickers with her costume.
On Saturday night, the most bonkers show on television returned to ITV, with characters such as Bigfoot, Cricket, and Maypole entering the stage once more.
Dippy Egg finished in the bottom two alongside Rat, who was ousted from the competition, revealing Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley under the mask.
The iconic dancer discussed her elimination, stating that she “embraced” the trials of wearing the hot and heavy outfit.
Outlining how she dealt with the heat of the hefty outfit, the 63-year-old said: ‘They gave me special underwear to go in, of which I took most of it off.
‘I just kept my panties on, because I wanted it closer to my skin. I didn’t want to feel overheated.’
The head of Rat’s costume in particular was ‘quite heavy’, Shirley said, but ‘with a little bit of practise’, she ‘got used to it’.
‘I think it’s just like any experience. It’s just about embracing it. Like my mum said, “You signed up for it, just get on with it.” That’s exactly what I did,’ she stated.
‘I designed my own costume as Rat. They offered me all these other outfits and I wanted to go with something that was really down to earth.’
The fact that Shirley was born in 1960, the year of the rat, was one clue concerning Rat’s outfit that no one on the panel picked up on and was not included in any of the clue packages.
‘I’m surprised they didn’t use that as a clue actually. So that’s why I had the costume,’ Shirley added.
‘I have to say, I’ve had many experiences, many, many – that’s by far the highlight of my career.
‘I enjoyed every minute of it and I am desperately wanting them to give me Rat so I can stuff him and put him in a corner in my house because he’s family for me now. He’s my Rat.’
The dancing teacher, who rose to prominence as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and is currently a participant on The Masked Singer UK, said that she wants to participate in more competitive television series.
‘I want to do SAS: Who Dares [Wins], [I’m A Celebrity…] Get Me Out of Here! I want a man to scream in my face because I’ve had that all my life. I think that could kind of be fun,’ she shared.
‘I like anything that’s jungle-oriented. I like anything that puts Wellington boots on and gets you out there, out on the moors and things, not the glitz and glamour.
‘Even though I have it on Strictly, I have had it all my life. I’ve been wearing eyelashes since I was about eight, so I’m up for anything, me.’
So, has she already been contacted to star in one of these shows?
‘Maybe…’ she answered coyly. We’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled!
The Masked Singer returns on Saturday at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.