Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s teasing wasn’t enough to stop viewers identifying her as The Masked Singer’s Alien on Saturday night.

The Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer) hitmaker was unmasked as the first eliminated contestant on the show’s season 2 Boxing Day debut, leaving judges Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross, Rita Ora and Mo Gilligan stunned.

Singer Sophie teased a “crime scene” in her clues – leading viewers to correctly assume she was teasing her classic hit, Murder on the Dance Floor – and, after being unmasked, she admitted she was excited for her children to watch her on the show.

Explaining her reasoning for appearing on the show, Sophie said: “The craziness of the show! And getting the chance to try and sing sounding unlike me. I love a challenge and why not do it dressed as an extraterrestrial?!”

Admitting that she loved the secrecy at filming, the I Won’t Change You hitmaker added: “The hoodie you wear says ‘don’t speak to me’ and quite frankly it’s the best hoodie I’ve ever owned.”

Sophie’s one performance saw her belt out Dua Lipa’s massive hit Don’t Start Now, with judge Mo correctly guessing the star was changing her accent while singing.

Fans took to Twitter in their droves to identify the Bittersweet star before she was unmasked, following a face-off with the Robin, with one writing: “I am guessing Alien is Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Murder on the dance floor. Ex-model. AND I think she’s changed her voice!”

“My Mom reckons alien is Sophie Ellis Bexter [sic] and she might be right! Crime scene – murder on the dance floor,” added a second.

A third user commented: “‘I’ve won a battle’ Groovejet beat Victoria Beckham’s solo debut to number 1 – Alien is clearly Sophie Ellis-Bextor!”

After her identity was revealed, Sophie tweeted: “Yes so as most of you guessed it was me and she in #themaskedsinger. Even my one year old pointed at the telly and shouted ‘mummy!’ when I started singing in the alien suit!

“Anyhoo a fun and trippy way to spend a few days and enjoy the rest of the show- no idea who anyone is!”

Sophie’s appearance on the show rounds out a busy year for the star, who kept fans worldwide entertained on Friday evenings amid the pandemic with her Instagram Live Kitchen Disco series.

The shows spawned a greatest hits collection, Songs from the Kitchen Disco, featuring tracks from Sophie’s six studio albums plus a handful of cover versions, including lead single Crying at the Discotheque.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be touring the UK and Ireland from May 2021 – tickets are available here. Her greatest hits album, Songs from the Kitchen Disco, is out now.