The Masked Singer judges Jonathan Ross and Davina McCall poke fun at missing Rita Ora as they suggest she could be behind one of the costumes
Rita Ora was missing from The Masked Singer on Saturday night when guest judge Charlie Simpson stepped in to replace her on the panel.
The 33-year-old singer, who normally stars in the hit ITV show alongside Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan, was nowhere to be seen.
During her absence, Rita was teased by her fellow judges, who even suggested that she could be behind the mask.
Viewers saw Maypole take on Cricket, before Big Foot versus Dippy Egg and Weather battling it out against Rat.
Davina welcomed Charlie to the panel, saying it was “really nice to have a singer on the show because they can hear the intonations and tone,” seemingly forgetting that Rita is also a singer.
Rita Ora, 33, went missing on The Masked Singer on Saturday night
The singer, who normally stars in the hit ITV show alongside Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan, was nowhere to be seen when guest judge Charlie Simpson (pictured) intervened
“That sounds a bit like you're making fun of Rita Ora!” Johnathan joked.
After Maypole's rendition of Pink's Never Gonna Not Dance Again, the panel was left wondering who could be in the costume.
As Davina thought it could be Anne-Marie, Johnathan gambled on Theresa May and Charlie chose Emma Raducanu, while Mo thought it could be Rita.
Later in the show, after Big Foot's appearance, Johnathan joked that the character could also be Rita.
In September, it was announced that Rita would miss three shows due to her hectic filming schedule.
One of her current commitments is her role in The Masked Singer US, where she is lined up to replace Nicole Scherzinger for series 11.
It comes after Rita lifted the lid on her decades-long friendship with Jonathan, sharing that he has 'always been there for her'.
The singer and the chat show host, 63, are both judges on The Masked Singer, but their friendship long pre-dated the hugely popular ITV show.
After Maypole's rendition of Pink's Never Gonna Not Dance Again, the panel was left wondering who could be in the costume.
As Davina thought it could be Anne-Marie, Johnathan gambled on Theresa May and Charlie chose Emma Raducanu, while Mo thought it could be Rita.
It comes after Rita lifted the lid on her decades-long friendship with Jonathan Ross, sharing that he has “always been there for her.”
Rita sweetly shared how Jonathan has been her mentor since she first started in the music industry over a decade ago.
The pair became fast friends since Rita appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2012, fresh off the success of her breakthrough song Hot Right Now.
Rita talked about their close bond The mirror: 'Jonathan has always been there for me since the beginning of my career and he has had such a big influence on me. I think with that comes the lightheartedness between us, along with a level of trust.
“It feels really nice to have someone who can handle my sarcasm, but at the same time he knows deep down that he is one of my mentors and that he will always be that person for me.”
Jonathan praised Rita's 'extraordinary work ethic', adding: 'I think Rita is phenomenal […] I don't think I've met anyone who works as hard as she does.”
The good friends return to also judge the fifth series of The Masked Singer Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan.
The brand new pre-recorded series sees the judges once again try to guess the identities of the masked celebrities performing.