06 February 2023 , 12:30
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Claire Richards has opened up about the reason she picked her Knitting disguise - admitting that she wanted a costume that "completely covered her up" so that she didn't have to worry about what her body looked like,
The Steps legend, 45, was unmasked alongside Daisy May Cooper - who had been performing as Otter - in a double elimination at the weekend.
Speaking to the Mirror, she spoke about why she wanted to perform in a costume that would be a world away from her skintight glittery Steps outfits.
Claire revealed: "I always knew that I wanted to be something that was completely covered up and not really something pretty or beautiful.
"With Steps because we wear quite tight glittery costumes so I wanted something completely away from that and not be worried for a change about what [my body] looks like.
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"So I knew I wanted to be something completely covered up."
Claire Richards was unmasked as Knitting in The Masked Singer's double elimination (ITV)"There are options," she continued. "I was offered a few options and Knitting was it and it was pink.
"I can't knit but I'm quite crafty so I like making stuff like that."
Claire Richards wanted to wear a costume that was completely covered up (ITV)After each performance The Masked Singer contestants stand next to host Joel Dommett while the panellists make their guesses.
Claire admitted she found this part of the process both "funny" and "strange".
She said: "It's quite funny, because obviously you're standing there completely hidden and listening to what they have to say.
Claire Richards didn't 'know how to react' when the panel guessed her identity (Getty Images for British Summer Time)
Claire Richards joined Steps when the band was formed in 1997 (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)"If ever they touched on clues that I thought, ‘Oh god, they're going to get me now’ I never quite knew how to react."
"And if someone did say my name, is it gonna be obvious? Am I gonna do something to give it away?" Claire added
“It's very strange. It's very weird and most of the time I was just thinking, ‘I’m so hot I want to get this off.'"
Claire Richards admitted she didn't want to 'worried' about her body while performing (ITV)The Steps star revealed the anonymity of The Masked Singer appealed to her after joining the pop group in 1997.
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"It was my absolute dream to be able to stand on stage, sing a song and no one can see me," she added.
“But when you've got something like 20 kilos and the way it was structured, I couldn't really lift my arms up and it was so heavy. I found it incredibly difficult."
Claire Richards told Joel Dommett she thought her children would be 'surprised' (ITV)During the double elimination on Saturday, Claire told host Joel she thought her children Charlie and Daisy would be "surprised" by their mum taking part in the show.
However, Claire admitted to Mirror.co.uk that her daughter guessed Knitting was her mum straight away when she saw the costume.