Bagpipes is unmasked as Pat Cash on tonight's The Masked Singer

Tonight viewers watched Bagpipes. Rockhopper, Poodle, Panda and Traffic Cone perform.

After all had taken to the stage, Poodle and Bagpipes faced the sing-off.

The panel then made their decision and it was Bagpipes who was unmasked and revealed to be Grand Slam tennis champ Pat Cash, as guessed by Davina.

Q&A:

Had you watched The Masked Singer before?

I'd seen highlights here and there as with my busy travel schedule its near impossible to be at the same place each week to sit and enjoy the TV.

Did you have a favourite previous character?

I was blown away by Morten Harket from AHA in his enormous Viking costume, singing Fleetwood Mac's Songbird . He has such a distinguishable voice and also to see Skin from Skunk Anansie, one of my favourite rock singers of all time, was a thrill.

What made you decide to take on the challenge?

I've always been a frustrated rock star and fancied doing the Masked Singer from the first day I saw it. I just thought it would be so much fun to rock out, although I prefer to hide behind a guitar instead of a sweaty mask. It was a great experience overall. As luck would have it, my schedule cleared. I'm a big believer in letting your higher power take over and I suppose it meant I was able to take part in the show.

How hard is it to keep the secret?

Not very, I'm a pretty private person anyway and never feel comfortable about people knowing what I'm up to, I don't know what I'm up to half of the time so to sneak away and get some great singing tips and do the show was pretty easy.

How excited are you for the big reveal and who do you think amongst your friends/family will be the most surprised?

Part of me was relieved but also bummed I went out as my favourite song to sing was up next. The most shocked will be my family and close friends for sure, especially my rock n' roll buddies. They would all have me way down at the bottom of a list of celebrities to do this.

What did you think of your mask, your overall look and the character you got to play?

What was important to me was to be able to move. As some may know and now see I'm a physical type of athlete or ex-athlete as it may be now and this suited me perfectly. The only issue was my long nose (the pipe). I wanted a microphone stand so I could emulate David Coverdale from Whitesnake, Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin or Freddie Mercury but my nose kept getting in the way so I gave that idea away after a few mishaps.

Did you have a say in what your costume looked like?

I had a choice and didn't hesitate with Bagpipes. I have Scottish roots on my mother's side and let's face it how insane to have singing Bagpipes!

How about the clue packages - what kind of input did you have on those and do you have a favourite nugget of information from them?

One of the biggest clues was in my second song Teenage Dirtbag . The guys in Iron Maiden are great friends of mine, have been for 30 plus years and the lyrics say, listen to Iron Maiden baby with me I'm surprised no one picked that up. However, there was a clearer clue about climbing the heights of my career . The climbing was about my famous or infamous climb out of the arena to celebrate with the support team. I was the first athlete to do this. It's something I'm very proud of and is still extremely emotional to this day.

Were there any nerves when you first performed as your character or did being hidden inside the costume make you feel more confident?

Yes, I liked being hidden. I wasn't that nervous on the first song but my last song was a torment! I couldn't get the lyrics to I only wanna be with you . My sister who is an opera singer has the real voice in the family and as a kid she used to love the Bay City Rollers and sang it around the house. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun song and fun to sing but I was listening to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or AC/DC in those days. Maybe it was my subconscious saying, Don't do it.' As luck would have it, it all came together just in the nick of time but only just.

What did you think of the panel's guesses?

The panel guessed tennis player straight away. Then it was just a matter of which one.

If you could wear your mask and costume just one more time what occasion would you choose to wear it to?

Is it wrong to say at my own funeral? That would sum up my personality which not a lot of people other than those close to me know - don't take yourself too seriously.

If you could sum up your experience in a song title what would it be?

The first song I did by Blur was called Song 2 but the lyrics Woo Hoo, when I feel heavy metal!! those lyrics couldn't have said it better. With the talent on the show I figured I would only get one song to do and what a way to go out.

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LINK:	https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/bagpipes-unmasked-pat-c...
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