Alex Brooker shares daughters' unusual reaction to The Masked Singer appearance

09 June 2024 , 17:00

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Soccer Aid returns on June 9 (Image: UNICEF/Soccer Aid Productions/Stella Pictures/REX/Shutterstock)

Alex Brooker has revealed the one request he received from his two daughters after appearing on The Masked Singer.

The broadcaster appeared on the recent series of the ITV competition alongside the likes of Melody Thornton, Lorraine Kelly, Julia Sawalha, Dionne Warwick and Danny Jones. Having performed as Bigfoot, fans of Brooker, 40, had started to speculate over who was behind the character.

Sailing through each week, Alex went on to land second place, just behind McFly singer Danny Jones who was crowned the champion. But his two daughters couldn't comprehend that their dad was the voice and person behind the elaborate costume.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror ahead of his return to Soccer Aid, Alex said: "The Masked Singer is one of the best things I've ever done in my life. It's the most fun, it's the most bonkers, lovely show, everyone who works there is amazing. I'm not a singer so I didn't expect to be in it as long, let alone come second and I'm out there singing Backstreet Boys dressed as this big, furry Bigfoot and he's got this big cute face, it was the most fun.

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Alex Brooker has shared how his two daughters reacted to him being on The Masked Singer

Alex Brooker shares daughters' unusual reaction to The Masked Singer appearance

The broadcaster admitted that it was one of the funniest parts of his career (Dave Benett/Getty Images)

"It was the sweatiest thing I've ever done but the most fun. My girls at home, they're buzzing, they loved it so much. Their faces, when we watched it on the Sunday and I was revealed, they loved it. They were howling, it was just the best thing ever to them that their dad was Bigfoot. They've asked me to wear the costume on the school run, I've had to explain that I don't get to take it home and not really conduced to safe driving if I'm honest with the paws and the feet. It was something amazing to be a part of and I can't believe I came second.

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"Danny Jones by the way, backstage when I heard him singing It's All Coming Back To Me, I was just there going 'Does anybody really need to hear me sing at this point?' it was unbelievable. I saw him and he was saying one of his little boys wanted Bigfoot to win and my girls cheered when Piranha won."

This year, Alex will join the likes of Roman Kemp, Tom Grennan and Bobby Brazier on the pitch. Discussing his return, he said: "I'm really excited to be back. I'm so lucky to have been asked to play the past two years, this will be my third Soccer Aid and I've loved every second of being part of it.

"It's such a privilege to be a part of it, from a football fan and for the cause that we're doing it for, for UNICEF and the money we raise." Soccer Aid has raised over an eyewatering £38 million for UNICEF UK since it kicked off in 2006. But this year, Alex jokes he's hoping to get a touch on the ball having missed it last year.

This year, Alex will return to Soccer Aid which is being held at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge

Despite his success, Alex states that Soccer Aid will always be the highlight of his career (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"It's an amazing thing to be a part of," he said, before adding that he'd already started training. The star revealed he'd started training in February and hopes to be in a "good place". He joked: "I'll still have the one leg but it is what it is." The broadcaster admits having a personal trainer in Leeds, West Yorks, but struggled to find the time to throw himself into it.

He said: "My legs, with all the best will in the world, I'm never going to be able to what everyone else can do anyway. Even if I trained every single day and every single minute. So it's maximising what I can get out of my body, last year I was struggling quite a lot even before I went to play. You could see when I watched it back, I was in a little bit of pain."

Alex was born with birth abnormalities of his hands and arm and a twisted right leg. When he was a baby, the star had to endure an amputation of his leg. Nowadays, he wears a prosthetic leg. Reflecting on his experience playing at the match, he commented: "From a football fan point of view, you're there, training and playing alongside not just footballers but some of the greatest that have ever done it."

"I've looked and Eden Hazard is playing for World XI this year and I think he was probably the best player in the Premier League four years ago, so that will be great," he laughed. But this year, Alex has the likes of Jill Scott and Joe Cole on his team as England battles it to be crowned the champions.

He met little Elan who opened up about feeling different after having a prosthetic hand fitted

Last year, Alex visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan with UNICEF to see how the vital funds raised help people. He said: "I met two young disabled people out there and their stories, the little girl, Elan, who I met who was getting a 3D hand fitted and when she spoke about what she felt about her hand and feeling different, it resonated with me personally. It's what I went through as a child. I wasn't in a refugee camp but that part it resonated with me what she was going through."

But Soccer Aid is much more than a game of football in front of millions of people and playing with some of the biggest names. Over the years, the event has smashed boundaries and raised awareness of diversity. "That's another thing that's happened from being seen on Soccer Aid and playing, young disabled people who see me there and feel represented," he said. Alex continued: "I've had messages from parents of disabled children and disabled children themselves saying seeing me out there and trying my hardest and stuff like that, I don't think there's anything more that I could possibly achieve."

Although Brooker jokes about the lack of contact he had with a ball last year, he gushed over the fact that being on the pitch in front of millions of people was "enough" to help inspire young people with various disabilities. Although he's achieved various levels of success and impact, Alex states that various points of his career will never compare to the "visibility" of being part of Soccer Aid.