Christopher Dean speaks out on The Masked Dancer after being unmasked as Beagle

Christopher Dean has spoken out about his time on The Masked Dancer as Beagle.

The Masked Dancer returned to our screens on Thursday as the eight remaining characters – Squirrel, Carwash, Frog, Beagle, Scarecrow, Zip, Llama and Knickerbocker Glory – took to the stage together for the first time.

Joining the panel alongside regulars Davina McCall, Oti Mabuse, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan was guest judge, comedian and author David Walliams.

It was a double elimination with Beagle, Zip and Llama in the bottom three. After chasing their tail it was Beagle who was eliminated first, unmasked as Olympic legend and Dancing On Ice judge Christopher Dean.

Speaking about signing up for the show, Christopher said: “I like new challenges.

“I didn’t tell anyone and avoided calls from friends.

“The whole experience of wearing a disguise all the time was surreal.”

Christopher said performing as Beagle was difficult at times, describing the outfit as “claustrophobic with very limited vision.”

“It’s a totally different way of moving and remembering steps. I was trying to match with a partner I couldn’t see half the time,” he added.

Christopher revealed that he watched dog ads on TV and dog shows in order to ‘stay in character’.

It seemed to work with none of the panel guessing his identity.

“The panel were great but they were way off the mark,” the Olympic gold medallist said of their guesses, which included.

Meanwhile on leaving the competition, Christopher said: “It was my time and I enjoyed the experience,” adding that his personal highlight was just “getting past show one.”

Concluding, he said his time on the series was “Surreal, challenging and fun.”

The Masked Dancer on ITV & the ITV Hub continues at 7.30PM on Friday, 4 June.