Martin Kemp reflects on his The Masked Singer appearance

He was unmasked as Cat

Author: Hazel ScottPublished 16th Jan 2023
Last updated 16th Jan 2023

Series four of the bonkers singing show The Masked Singer is underway, and on Saturday night's (14th January) episode, the first-ever duo on the show were unmasked as a famous couple, much to the surprise of the judging panel.

The show's characters Cat & Mouse were revealed to be presenter and Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp, and his wife and singer Shirlie Kemp, who performed as part of Wham! as well as duo Pepsi & Shirlie in the 80s.

They were the third and fourth contestants to be eliminated after ending up in the bottom two against Knitting. In the end, the judges - Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan - decided to send Cat & Mouse home. They were surprised when the characters were unmasked as Martin and Shirlie, with Davina saying: "That was the best reveal ever, you blew my mind."

Following the show airing at the weekend, Martin appeared on sister station Greatest Hits Radio on Monday 16th January to talk about his experience on the series. He commented: "The judge’s feedback I thought was really fair. They said ‘the Mouse could sing, and the Cat was struggling’ and I thought that was fair!"

While Martin has sung on several Spandau Ballet songs including 'True', he explained: "I’ve never thought of myself as a singer, but I love doing it because when you sing at the top of your lungs you get this incredible endorphin push. That’s why people sing at football, sing in church, because you feel so great doing it, and that’s what I experienced. And I promise you guys, so many people out there say I never sing because I can’t, just do it, be it on your own or whatever, sort out what key you can sing in and sing along to your records because it makes you feel great!"

Watch Cat & Mouse perform on The Masked Singer:

The singers who appear on the show need to keep it a secret from everyone, even their family and Martin revealed that not even their kids Roman and Harley knew they were taking part in the series. He said: "Nobody knew we were doing it! You are absolutely sworn to secrecy, you have to sign an NDA, an actual legal document, to say you will not tell anyone. But you don’t want to anyway, you don’t want to ruin the surprise - that’s what it’s all about. if you’re going to do it you’ve got to commit to these things and you’ve got to be willing to go with it and that was part of the fun, keeping it a surprise."

It sounds like it wasn't all fun though as the costumes could be quite uncomfortable to be in! Martin commented: "It was so hot in that costume I can’t tell you! You can only spend three minutes at the most in that mask because it is so hot. And they come along and they feed you and give you drinks up a straw, as if you’re in a space capsule and you’re going to the moon. It feels isolating and was quite difficult to sing in, but it was a lot of fun, really hard at points, but so much fun."

Take a look at the other characters from series four:

Rhino - CHARLIE SIMPSON


Phoenix - RICKY WILSON


Fawn - NATALIE APPLETON


Jellyfish - AMBER RILEY


Jacket Potato - RICHIE SAMBORA


Otter - DAISY MAY COOPER


Knitting - CLAIRE RICHARDS


Pigeon - KATHERINE RYAN


Rubbish - STEPHEN HENDRY


Cat & Mouse - MARTIN AND SHIRLIE KEMP


Piece of Cake - LULU


Ghost - CHRIS KAMARA

Ghost was unmasked in Week One as former footballer and sports pundit Chris Kamara.

How can I listen to Martin Kemp on Clyde 2?

You can find Martin Kemp here on Clyde 2 every Friday night from 7pm when he hosts The Mix Tape with Martin Kemp.

Now read:

The Masked Singer: Everything you need to know about the bonkers celebrity singing show

The Masked Singer viewers are seriously torn over Fawn's identity

How to listen to Clyde 2:

For the Greatest Hits and incredible competitions tune into Clyde 2 on DAB Digital Radio, online, on our Radio Clyde app, on 1152AM, or say ‘Play Clyde 2’ on your Smart Speaker. Wake up with Ewen & Cat At Breakfast every weekday from 6am, where we play you some of the Greatest Hits from the past 40 years.