THE Masked Singer star Richie Sambora has broken is silence on the backstage secrets of the show.
The rock legend, best known as the lead guitarist in Bon Jovi, compared the ITV programme to a “military operation”.
Richie, 63, was unmasked as quirky character Jacket Potato over the weekend after nearly managing to evade the judges.
The rock band star successfully kept his identity hidden for weeks of competition, making it to the semi-final.
The hot spud narrowly missed out and was booted off at the last hurdle – with a double elimination on Saturday’s show.
His identity was correctly guessed by Davina McCall, who admitted she had “goosebumps” at his big reveal.
Now, Richie, who was part of Bon Jovi from 1983 to 2013, has opened upon the behind-the-scenes process to stay hidden.
He compared the programme to a “military operation” as he revealed the lengths he went to not be revealed.
Speaking to Ranvir Singh and Robert Rinder on Good Morning Britain, he explained he even wore gloves to hide his hands.
He said: “I had such a good time on that show. It was the most paramilitary activity!
“Nobody knows who anybody is, you’re always wearing a sweatshirt that says ‘Please don’t speak to me’ and gloves.”
The Bon Jovi guitarist fell at the final hurdle ahead of the final, which he admitted he “would be watching”.
Fans were stunned that the American rock guitarist was behind the mask after failing to guess his identity.
One wrote on Twitter after the big reveal: “I can’t believe Bon Jovi’s guitarist was in the costume!”
Host Joel Dommett listed off clues that the singer-songwriter had shared throughout his time on the show.
Among them were lyrics to famous Bon Jovi songs including “shot through the heart” and “halfway there”.
The video clues also included the title of Richie’s own studio album, 7800° Fahrenheit.
Richie said about his costume: “It took a little getting used to, but once I put it on that was it.
“It’s a wild reality doing this show – It’s been a lot of fun, I’d figure we’d fool some people.”
The Masked Singer continues at 7pm on Saturday on ITV
