This Morning presenter Ben Shephard has revealed that his co-host Cat Deeley was reduced to tears after learning his secret identity on The Masked Singer. Shephard, 51, was unmasked as Conkers in the show's final on Saturday, finishing as runner-up behind Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan.
Speaking on This Morning on Monday, Shephard told Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary that Deeley was one of the few people who knew about his participation. He said: 'When she first saw Conkers... he was such a special character, she burst into tears when she saw him. Those big eyes and wobbly knees.'
Shephard admitted he was 'traumatised' after each episode and would come into work 'shaking', needing to talk it through with Deeley. He described the experience as 'extraordinary' and 'emotional', adding: 'Having turned 50, I thought, I've gotta do a few more scary things, and this was my favourite.'
The presenter also revealed the bizarre situation of interviewing eliminated contestants on This Morning while still secretly in the competition. He said: 'The bizarre thing is, I have been interviewing all the unmasked celebrities on This Morning. They have no idea I'm on the show and still in it!'
Shephard praised his Conkers costume, saying he 'fell in love with it immediately'. He added: 'I just worked on the idea that Conkers wants to be really brave, he is a knight, but he is actually just a little bit nervous as well and actually wants people to be his mates.'
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX. The Masked Singer UK is available to watch on ITVX.
