The Masked Dancer 2022 contestant Gareth Malone, who was recently unmasked as Cactus on the show, has revealed that he nearly had to withdraw from the competition after having a horrifying accident.
After being unmasked on The Masked Dancer 2022, the choirmaster told The Sun that he suffered a gruesome injury after falling down the stairs at home shortly after his first rehearsal.
He said: "It was quite dramatic. I had my first rehearsal and I came home and I was quite tired. It was physically tiring and I had a bad night. And I came down the stairs and picked up the post.
"We've got five little steps into the kitchen and I fell down the stairs and I twisted my ankle. It went black and purple and green. Immediately I was like, 'Oh no!' and did ice and elevation. I had a plethora of straps and harnesses on."
Gareth confessed that it was "touch and go" on whether he would be able to take part in the show, but luckily he was able to perform thanks to the help of a physiotherapist who he snuck into the studio.
"I had to smuggle a physio into the studio. I had to have three weeks out at the beginning. I was going really slowly then, about a week before, I thought, 'Okay, I'm actually going to be able to do this'.
"It was touch and go but I loved it. My team were just so brilliant — it's one of those things; to make something funny, you've actually got to work really hard."
Talking about why he had decided to take part in the show, Gareth said: "I have never danced before other than around my kitchen or in night clubs in my youth and I’ve always really liked it and always felt like it was something I should do, should try and I thought this was a really fun way to do it.
"I really like the show and I thought it would be very unexpected for me to do this. Lots of people have actually tweeted before about whether or not it was me in one of the costumes or The Masked Singer but never on The Masked Dancer."
Other celebrities who have currently been unmasked are TV presenter Stacey Dooley as Prawn Cocktail, actress Joanna Page as Pig and Desperate Housewives star Jesse Metcalfe as Astronaut.
The Masked Dancer UK 2022 continues Saturday at 6:30pm on ITV and ITV Hub.
