“Masked Singer” judges Jonathan Ross and Davina McCall poke fun at Rita Ora’s absence, suspecting she could be behind one of the costumes

Rita Ora was missing from The Masked Singer on Saturday night when guest judge Charlie Simpson stepped in to replace her on the judging panel.

The 33-year-old singer, who usually appears alongside Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan on the hit ITV show, was nowhere to be seen.

During her absence, Rita was teased by her fellow judges, who even suggested that she might be behind the mask.

Viewers saw Maypole take on Cricket before Big Foot took on Dippy Egg and Weather took on Rat.

Davina welcomed Charlie to the panel, saying it was “really nice to have a singer on the show because she can hear the intonation and the tone,” seemingly forgetting that Rita is also a singer.

The singer, who usually appears alongside Davina McCall, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan on the hit ITV show, was nowhere to be seen when guest judge Charlie Simpson (pictured) intervened.

“It sounds a bit like you’re making fun of Rita Ora!” Johnathan joked.

After Maypole’s version of Pink’s “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”, the judges wondered who could be in the costume.

While Davina thought it could be Anne-Marie, Johnathan went for Theresa May and Charlie chose Emma Raducanu, while Mo thought it could be Rita.

Later in the series, after Big Foot’s appearance, Johnathan joked that the character could also be Rita.

In September it was announced that Rita would miss three shows due to her busy filming schedule.

One of her current commitments is her role in “The Masked Singer US”, where she is supposed to replace Nicole Scherzinger in the 11th season.

It came after Rita ended her decades-long friendship with Jonathan, sharing that he was “always there for her”.

The singer and talk show host, 63, are both judges on The Masked Singer, but their friendship predates the hugely popular ITV show.

After Maypole’s version of Pink’s “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”, the judges wondered who could be in the costume.

While Davina thought it could be Anne-Marie, Johnathan went for Theresa May and Charlie chose Emma Raducanu, while Mo thought it could be Rita.

It comes after Rita revealed her decades-long friendship with Jonathan Ross, sharing that he was “always there for her”.

Rita fondly shared that Jonathan has been her mentor since she started in the music industry over a decade ago.

The two became fast friends after Rita appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2012, shortly after the success of her breakthrough song “Hot Right Now”.

Speaking about their close bond, Rita told The Mirror: “Jonathan has always been there for me since the beginning of my career and has been a huge influence on me. I think it goes hand in hand with the levity between us and a certain level of trust.

“It feels really good to have someone who can handle my sarcasm, but at the same time he knows deep down that he is one of my mentors and that he will always be that person for me.”

Jonathan praised Rita’s “exceptional work ethic” and added: “I think Rita is phenomenal.” […] I don’t think I’ve met anyone who works as hard as she does.”

The good friends return to judge the fifth season of The Masked Singer Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan.

In the all-new pre-recorded series, the judges once again try to guess the identities of the masked celebrities performing.