Julia Sawalha reveals she cried for her mother backstage on Masked Singer

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Julia Swalha has confessed she cried for mother backstage on The Masked Singer because she was so nervous. The Vera star unmasked as Bubble Tea on the latest show in front of her Absolutely Fabulous -co-star Jennifer Saunders, who was a guest panelist. The 55-year-old actor confessed she had a "complete black out" before the sing off and forgot what song she was meant to perform.

What, how, and why?

Sawalha has become the fourth celebrity to be unmasked on the ITV celebrity singing show after performing What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes. The Lark Rise To Candleford star revealed she could not see inside her costume and felt terrified.

Swalha told Lorraine Kelly: "When I was rehearsing and I walked down the tunnel I actually cried under my mask and I wanted my mum. I thought 'I want my mum, I want my mum!' And I thought 'Julia you're 55-years-old - pull yourself together!' That just showed me how out of control I felt that I wanted my mother. But I had no choice. I thought I can't get out of this!"

The sister of Loose Women star Nadia Swalha revealed she could not see at all inside her Bubble Tea costume and so she had to be held and guided on stage by the security guards. And she also confessed to having 'black out' before the sing off, and forgetting what to sing.

Swalha said: "I couldn't see. They said 'Your vision will be limited', and I said there's limited and completely not seeing anything. My eyes were on the top of my head but my [real] eye were there and they couldn't take the bubbles off. That's why I was hanging on to the security."

She went on: "I had a blackout just before I went to do my sing-off. I just stood there and I could hear Owl singing and I thought 'I only know my name is Julia... I don't know what I'm doing.'

"It's the first time I've ever had stage fright. I could feel the costume dresser and she said, 'What is it?' and I said 'I dont know what I'm doing.' And she said, 'You're doing The Masked Singer!' I said, 'I don't know what I'm singing, I don't know what the song is.' And then I just turned slightly and it's really dark backstage and I I could just see the light of the iPad and I could just see the first line and everything came back into my head. It was complete black out!"

Sawalha admitted she could not wait to get her ask off. She said: "Because you have in ears you are virtually deaf. You can't hear anything, you can't smell anything, you can't see anything, so all your senses are taken away. You know when singers say 'It was great being masked because it meant I could just relax.' No! Take the mask off!"

Lorraine airs on ITV1 at 9am on weekdays.

The Masked Singer next airs on ITV1 at 7pm on Saturday 27th January 2024.

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