The Masked Singer reveals beloved rapper behind Bear’s mask in epic semi-final

The Masked Singer UK 2025 final is just one week away—but who won’t be there?. Another double elimination rocked the show this weekend, resulting in the final three lineup being confirmed as Bush was among the two who had to unveil their identities. Unfortunately for Bear, he also fell at the final hurdle, meaning his mask was removed tonight after weeks of baffling us all with cryptic clues and obscure riddles.

But hey, at least now we know who was underneath the elaborate costume all along… and it was only Example!. Previous guesses from the panel included Romesh Ranganathan and even Louis Theroux, but Maya Jama was pretty certain she ‘knew’ the Kickstarts hitmaker was beneath Bear’s furry exterior. Indeed, plenty of clues in previous VTs have pointed in the direction of the musician, with even his initials, EG, flashing up at one point. Example’s real name is Elliot Gleave.

Speaking post-reveal, Example explained why he distorted his voice: ‘I sound like me when I sing my records, and I rap like me, so I needed to do something different every week!’. Referencing Example’s rendition of a Will Smith rap on a previous episode, Maya said: ‘That’s when I knew it was you; the breath control, the movement, the flow—I was like, that has to be someone who has actually rapped.’.

Following his unmasking, viewers took to X, with one hailing him as ‘brilliant’ in the contest. ‘Bear is @example. I had it since day one. Finally, it only took me 6 series to get one right. Phenomenal voice, too. Should go into Opera with those pipes’, wrote aweehaggis. ‘Not heard from Example in ages from what I remember he’s a very good rapper as it turns out can also sing’, wrote RebeccaHindle_C.

In a post-show Q&A, Example shared the thought process behind all the thespian-style clues in his VTs: ‘I’m quite versatile, but I also just love theatre and theatrics and impressions and voices. So this show is a nice opportunity to do all that.’. He added of being eliminated: ‘I didn’t know how far I was going to get because I’ve watched the show before and sometimes the best singers go out.

‘By no means do I see myself as the best singer; I see myself as a really good entertainer, but there are people on this show with amazing voices, and they’ve gone out early, so I’m extremely happy to have got to the last five.’. Example released his debut studio album, What We Made, in 2007, followed by the mixtape What We Almost Made in 2008. However, it was the now 42-year-old’s second album that really propelled him to stardom in 2010, producing two top 10 singles: Won’t Go Quietly and the classic Kickstarts.

Example released his fifth studio album, Live Life Living, in 2014, but the road to creating his sixth album was rocky, leading to him parting ways with his record label and releasing standalone singles instead. In recent years, Example has performed at Glastonbury Festival and collaborated with the likes of Professor Green, Big Narstie, and Doc Brown. He now joins a list of impressive stars who have already been eliminated this series. We’ve had everyone from Bake Off legends to an artist doing his best Harry Hill impression….

In week 1, Good Morning Britain’s Kate Garraway was unmasked as Spag Bol, before Dame Prue Leith Leith was revealed as Pegasus. The following week, music legend Macy Gray was unveiled to be Toad in the Hole… well, after she stormed off stage in a moment of high drama, causing producers to panic and viewers to cringe. After the vocalist’s unbelievable exit, Tattoo removed her mask, with viewers stunned to find 80s singing legend Carol Decker underneath.

And then came the quarterfinal double unmasking, in which Kingfisher and Snail were knocked out of the competition. Snail turned out to be Irish songwriting icon Andrea Corr, while Kingfisher was actually artist Sir Grayson Perry, who admitted to playing up to the speculation that he was actually the You’ve Been Framed host. Finally, of course, shortly after Bear was unveiled in the semi-final, Bush also had to take their mask off, resulting in a reveal the judges, surprisingly, did not predict.

This means Pufferfish, Wolf, and Dressed Crab are our finalists, and they’re in the running for the title of Masked Singer champ, with judges Maya, Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, and Mo Gilligan returning next week to discover who will be victorious…. The Masked Singer 2025 final airs next Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX. Got a story?. If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.