The Masked Singer winner Joss Stone shares moment she almost revealed her secret identity as Sausage to backstage pal

THE Masked Singer winner Joss Stone has opened up about the moment she almost revealed her secret identity as Sausage during the competition.

The star, 33, confessed she almost blew her cover after bumping into an old friend who just happened to be working on the show.

She said: "There was a chap working on stage that I have seen over the years many, many times. He was talking to me as Sausage.

"Every day I would go and see this guy I'd known for ages and I just wanted to say 'hello', give him a hug, and I couldn't because he didn't know I was me."

Joss revealed that the crew member had no idea he had been talking to a friend until she took off her mask on Saturday's final.

She said: "I still didn't see him [when I was unmasked]. I was whipped away. They're not supposed to know until it comes out."

Joss also admitted being in the Sausage costume was so "awful" that at one point she was struggling for breath after walking out on stage to perform.

She said in a live stream on her official Facebook: "I'm carrying a lot of weight on my shoulders because of the chips and I'm there, I get to my spot and then I'm like, 'I can't breathe'.

"There was always somebody there with water and a long straw and a fan to make sure we didn't keel over, and I'm pregnant so they've got extra pressure on them. I'm not allowed to be in that thing more than 20 minutes.

"They're like, 'are you ok?' And I'm just like, 'I need a minute because if I don't get my breathe I can't sing the f***ing song.' Oh my God, it was awful. It was a challenge."

Joss' victory over R&B star Ne-Yo, 41, as Badger and Aston Merrygold, 33, as Robin was watched by a peak of 10.6million viewers.

Reflecting on her Masked Singer experience, Joss told The Sun that she enjoyed not being judged for her performances while dressed up as Sausage.

She said: "I know you’re getting judged for your performance but not really, not in the same way.

"We all have our preconceptions of somebody. All of that was out the window. It’s just music, it’s just a laugh."