Samantha Barks, the Manx actress who recently won the Masked Singer, has opened up about a cruel body-shaming incident she experienced after leaving a BBC reality show. The revelation was made during a 2020 episode of the Keep Calm And Kerry On Podcast with West End star Kerry Ellis.
Samantha gained fame at just 17 when she secured third place on the 2008BBC talent series ‘I’d Do Anything’, judged by Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Barrowman. She shared that while the show had a significant impact on her life, it also exposed her to public criticism, which helped develop her “thick skin”.
Discussing the pros and cons of leaving the show, Samantha said: “Well, the positives were all the things I’ve talked about and all of a sudden, I got to, you know, go to auditions that I never dreamed I’d get to go to and it did open up so many doors, which I’m just forever grateful to.”
However, she also highlighted the personal challenges, particularly dealing with negativity before social media became prevalent. Samantha recalled an instance where she was subjected to a harsh comment about her body after performing a number in a “little pair of hot pants”.
She reflected on past body image issues, saying: “Somewhere I read this and someone was like, ‘Oh my god; how bad like – she’s got awful cellulite and she’s only 17, and I was like, ‘Do I? ‘ Looking back, I didn’t have a scrap of cellulite. Do you know what I mean?,” reports the Mirror.
“When you’re 17, it’s like, be grateful because it’s all coming! You know what I mean? It’s like, I remember thinking, ‘Do I? ‘ And I don’t think I did but it’s just like, and then I sort of, so for years, I was just like, ‘Well, I can’t because of my cellulite’, and people would be like, ‘You don’t have cellulite’.”
In the thrilling conclusion of the Masked Singer, the final three contestants, Wolf, Pufferfish and Dressed Crab, vied for the top spot in the much-loved ITV series.
Emerging victorious as the 2025 winner was Pufferfish, with viewers finally learning that the host of Mamma Mia: I Have A Dream was behind the mask.
After the reveal, Samantha shared with the panel: “For me, because I’ve played Elsa for three years, it’s been so fun to do lots of different stuff and each week, I wanted to do a new kind of style and new kind of song.”