Charlotte Church likens appearing on The Masked Singer to the 'secret service'

Welsh singer Charlotte Church has spoken out about her time on The Masked Singer, saying the show is shrouded in secrecy and the contestants "know nothing about each other".

Ms Church, 35, starred on the show as 'Mushroom' and finished as runner-up in Saturday night's final.

The hit ITV show sees singers battling it out from behind elaborate costumes, giving clues along the way, with their true identity only revealed at the end.

Among the judging panel's incorrect guesses for Mushroom was English gardener Charlie Dimmock and New Zealand opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Ms Church described her experience on the show as "a great time from start to finish", but said participants must keep their involvement a complete secret from family and friends.

The singer explained that at some points she felt like an "American president and there's some secret service all around you," due to the levels of secrecy required on the show.

"When we do the group numbers together and you see everybody in their costumes, you're all looking at each other and trying to read body language. You're just trying to have a little guess because you're totally in the guessing game yourself at that point," she added.

Since the final, reports have emerged that some fans were upset with the outcome after Ms Church missed out on the win to Panda, who was eventually unmasked as Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia.

When asked whether she thought she was robbed of the win, Ms Church replied: "I think that Panda is a very deserving winner, the whole show is about entertainment and also it's about the guessing game and Natalie, she didn't get guessed!

"I had a lovely relationship with Panda on stage, we did lots of coaching. So no, I think she's a very deserving winner."

In response to the suggestion that the judges know who is behind the masks, Ms Church said: "I didn't get that vibe. I honestly think that they're in the dark as much as everyone else. So, I don't think that's true."

The award-winning singer also explained the inspiration behind her Mushroom disguise, revealing that the costume was chosen as a nod to her love of nature.

"I'm really, really passionate about nature, and conservation and sustainability," she said.

"They're some of the biggest organisms on Earth. And what they do for the soil is amazing. So I'm really passionate about mushrooms."

Hot on the heels of the series three finale comes the news that the Masked Singer has been renewed for two more series at ITV.

The final secured ITV’s highest overnight audience of 2022 to date, soaring to a third season high of 7.8m for a huge 45% share of total viewing.