The This Morning presenter was left in tears after Ben Shephard disclosed something in confidence.
11:15, 16 Feb 2026Updated 11:15, 16 Feb 2026
Ben revealed the moment his co-presenter Cat burst into tears (Image: ITV)
This Morning star Ben Shephard has revealed a moment he left his co-presenter Cat Deeley in tears.
The former Good Morning Britain host and Cat officially replaced Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby in March 2024, joining Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on the ITV daytime show team.
However, until this weekend, Ben was keeping a huge secret from some of his co-stars.
The 51-year-old was revealed to be Conkers on The Masked Singer, coming in second place in the dramatic final behind Sugababes singer Keisha Buchanan, who won the series as Moth.
Speaking on This Morning today (Monday 16 February) after his unmasking, Ben recalled the moment Cat saw him as Conkers and was left in tears.
Ben was unmasked during The Masked Singer final (Image: ITV)
He told Alison and Dermot: “I had a couple of people that were in my confidence, and Cat was one of them, because I was so traumatised that after every episode, I would come in in the morning shaking and we’d have to talk it through.
“And when she first saw Conkers… he was such a special character, she burst into tears when she saw him. Those big eyes and wobbly knees.
“It was a testament to costume over class, because I certainly shouldn’t have been there!”
Ben went on to say he was baffled to have made it so far in the competition, but blew fans away when he was finally unmasked, especially after appearing on the guest panel for the first episode and even quizzing other eliminated contestants on This Morning.
Ben appeared on This Morning today (Image: ITV)
After the final, he described it as an “extraordinary” and “emotional” experience, adding: “Having turned 50, I thought, ‘I’ve gotta do a few more scary things,’ and this was my favourite.”
“The bizarre thing is, I have been interviewing all the unmasked celebrities on This Morning. They have no idea I’m on the show and still in it!”, he added.
“It’s an isolating experience going on this show, as you can’t tell anyone. I can’t wait to be able to talk to everyone about it.”
Fans were gobsmacked to find out who was behind the Conkers mask (Image: ITV)
Asked how it felt to trick the judges, he said: “I’ve loved it. The experience has been remarkable. Really special. I loved that side of it. As a rule, I think I’m pretty straight down the line and the fact I got to do something so under-hand. Davina was talking to me in the most minute detail about what happens when you’re a contestant on the show. I was asking her loads of questions.”
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Talking about his mask, he added: “You might not have realised that I’m not necessarily the best singer. The costumes are incredible, my costume particularly had so much going for it. I fell in love with it immediately. I just worked on the idea that Conkers wants to be really brave, he is a knight, but he [Conkers] is actually just a little bit nervous as well and actually wants people to be his mates.”
Saying he jumped at the chance to wear the costume, he went on: “I think it was destiny. They talked me through some ideas but when they showed me Conkers I fell in love with it.”
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 and ITVX. The Masked Singer UK is available to watch on ITVX.