Masked Singer’s Ben Shephard reveals clever way he tricked ITV colleagues

Masked Singer’s Ben Shephard reveals clever way he tricked ITV colleagues Emily Bashforth Published February 15, 2026 3:17pm Updated February 15, 2026 3:17pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Ben Shephard’s Masked Singer reveal stunned the whole panel (Picture: ITV)

Ben Shephard’s Masked Singer reveal was perhaps one of the highlights of the 2026 series, especially given that his ITV co-stars had no idea he was taking part.

Last night, the This Morning host, 51, finished as runner-up, having spent several weeks performing as the adorable Conkers.

Sugababes star Keisha Buchanan took the crown after wowing everyone with her vocals as Moth, while actress Mica Paris placed third as the incredible Toastie.

But while both Keisha’s and Mica’s names were thrown out on several occasions by the panel before their big reveals, mouths fell wide open when Ben appeared, as neither Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Maya Jama, nor Mo Gilligan expected him to be Conkers.

Host Joel Dommett actually fell to the floor in shock, given how Ben had sat in as a guest panellist just weeks prior, giving nothing away.

So, how did he manage to fool them?

The presenter had been performing as the adorable Conkers all series (Picture: ITV)

Speaking after the final, the Tipping Point presenter admitted he ‘couldn’t wait’ for the secret to be exposed, having struggled through interviewing eliminated contestants from the show on daytime TV all series.

He also offered an insight into how he feigned ignorance when speaking about the contestants with other panel members, pretending he didn’t understand how things worked.

Describing the experience as ‘remarkable’ and ‘really special’, he said: ‘As a rule, I think I’m pretty straight down the line, and the fact I got to do something so underhand…

‘Davina was talking to me in the most minute detail about what happens when you’re a contestant on the show. I was asking her loads of questions.’

He added that co-host Cat Deeley’s sons ‘love the show’, so he was particularly eager to catch their reactions, joking about how he’s also given his own kids ‘ammunition for the rest of their lives’.

‘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!’, he continued.

Ben had even appeared on the panel earlier in the series (Picture: ITV) Cat Deeley said she ‘cried’ when she saw Ben’s costume (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

‘It’s an isolating experience going on this show, as you can’t tell anyone. I can’t wait to be able to talk to everyone about it.’

Indeed, once his identity was exposed, the reactions were as epic as you’d hope.

In fact, Cat, who replaced Holly Willoughby on This Morning in 2024 when Ben replaced Phillip Schofield, said it reduced her to tears.

‘The costume ! I cried the first time I saw it !!!!! 😹❤️🙌👏’, she commented on the programme’s Instagram clip of the unmasking.

‘Fabulous!!!’, added Lorraine Kelly, while Gaby Roslin wrote: ‘Still screaming. That was BRILLIANT ❤️❤️’

Over on X, Masked Singer viewers heaped praise on Ben for throwing everyone off the scent, with @jonconnell writing: ‘Appearing on the panel in the same series was a genius bit of misdirection. Brilliant contestant.’

Ben had also been interviewing eliminated contestants on This Morning! (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

‘I never would’ve guessed Ben Shephard’, tweeted @humbug83.

‘Ben Shephard!!! What!! Who knew that man could sing! What a pleasant surprise! Best reveal of the series!!’, declared @VickyStrange.

Others who managed to guess Conkers’ identity correctly felt extremely vindicated, having been unable to hear anyone else when the character sang.

Comment now Did you guess Ben correctly?Comment Now

‘Been saying from his 2nd song!’, said @BestSharro19609, while @Semaaa_WL said it was proof you should ‘never rule ANYONE out’.

Celebrity theories thrown out by the panel included Tom Daley from Davina, while Maya thought it was Big Brother host Will Best.

As for the clues pointing towards Ben in the VTs, these ranged from the phrase ‘Hanging on the edge’, which was a nod to Tipping Point, to ‘Some might McCall my earliest forays into this world’, which was a reference to him starting out on Davina’s show Good Stuff.

The final saw Moth crowned as the series winner, who turned out to be Sugababes pop star Keisha Buchanan (Picture: ITV) Toastie came third, who was revealed as Mica Paris (Picture: ITV)

A Conkers-printed blanket was also a hilarious nod to Mary Taylor in Coronation Street famously owning one with Ben’s face on, while a heart made from Lego was a subtle nod to Ben’s feature in The Lego Ninjago Movie.

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4. Who’s The Masked Singer star Moth? All clues and theories ahead of tonight's final

What really bewildered people were the references to castles in Conkers’ clips, which Ben has now said he played into.

‘My costume particularly had so much going for it. I fell in love with it immediately.

‘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.’

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Catch up with The Masked Singer 2026 on ITVX.

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Arrow MORE: Who’s The Masked Singer star Toastie? All clues and theories ahead of tonight’s final

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