The Masked Singer winner Nicola Roberts has said she had the “best time” on the show – but admitted being undercover could be “quite claustrophobic”.
The Girls Aloud star was crowned champion of the ITV programme on Saturday after she won the final performing as Queen Bee.
The contestants had to go to extreme lengths to keep their identities a secret for the duration of the series, which Roberts confessed was a challenge at times.
She said: “Keeping myself under a mask throughout filming was really frustrating at times.
“Even out of costume I was in a balaclava, hoody, mask and gloves.
“It could be quite claustrophobic at times and not being able to open the window in the dressing room out of fear a member of crew might see in was really hard.”
She said of her Queen Bee outfit: “I loved being Queen Bee and I was thankful that I was able to move around in my costume because some of the other contestants were so restricted.
“The mask was so hot and you’re really just breathing in your own carbonated air which was the worst part of it.”
Roberts performed Jocelyn Brown’s Somebody Else’s Guy before singing Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved in the final.
She beat runner-up Hedgehog, who was unmasked to reveal comedian Jason Manford, while in third place was Katherine Jenkins who performed as Octopus.
Roberts said she loved the experience.
“The crew and all creatives involved with the show worked so hard not only to make it spectacular but also to keep it all a secret,” she said.
“I feel so happy to have been involved in the first ever UK series and to have won it is just insane.”
Manford said he loved his outfit, despite finding it very heavy.
He said: “The toughest part of the process; I think carrying the weight of that suit because I had a backpack on as well which had all the spikes which, between takes, was often being held by two people because it was so heavy.
“I think getting ready to do your song and getting into that outfit was probably the toughest part.
“The weight of it was like carrying a 14-year-old teenager on your back, it was pretty heavy.”
Jenkins said The Masked Singer was “one of the craziest, most bizarre things” she has ever done.
“I love my job but as a classical singer, much of what I do is quite static and serious,” she said.
“I thought this would be the complete opposite – a chance to sing fun songs I would NEVER get to sing in my world, to push myself out of my comfort zone but most importantly to create a character that I thought my four-year-old daughter would love.
“She’s massively into Blue Planet and all the Attenborough documentaries, her favourite colours are pink and purple and I just know that Octopus is her kind of girl.
“I hope when she realises it’s me, she’ll be proud!”
The show, which is based on a South Korean format, has been watched by millions since coming to the UK.
Contestants included Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters, singer Kelis, EastEnders star Patsy Palmer, former home secretary Alan Johnson and former England footballer Teddy Sheringham.