Rita Ora replaced on The Masked Singer by Maya Jama in shock ITV shake-up

Rita Ora has been replaced on The Masked Singer by a huge celeb.

The singer previously sat alongside Davina McCall, Mo Gilligan and Jonathan Ross but has stepped down from the programme. Each judge attempted to guess which celebrity was hiding behind a mask as they tackled some of the biggest songs in music. Previous contestants include Melanie Brown, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Lorraine Kelly, Dionne Warwick and Joss Stone.

But now, it's been confirmed that the 33-year-old will not be returning for the next series which will return to ITV1 and ITVX in the new year. Instead, Love Island host Maya Jama has been announced as the latest celebrity judge. Speaking about joining the programme, Maya said: "I'm such a Masked Singer fan, so joining the panel alongside Davina, Jonathan, and Mo — and of course working with Joel— is going to be so much fun!

"I can't wait to figure out who's underneath all those incredible costumes, vibe to their performances, and get front-row seats to the unmaskings. I've watched the show for a long time, so I'm definitely bringing my A-game to the panel!" Rita stepped down from the panel last year in order to take over from Nicole Scherzinger on the US leg of the programme, alongside Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg and Ken Jeong.

It was reported in June this year that Maya had secured the Masked Singer job, with insiders branding the move as "huge." A source told The Sun: "This is a huge deal for Maya, who's now one of telly's fastest-rising stars. It puts her in front of a huge Saturday night audience every week on a show watched by everyone from kids to pensioners.

"Up to now she's had a following which is very young due to Love Island, but signing for The Masked Singer would take her career into a whole new league." The Masked Singer is watched by an average of seven million people each week and is one of ITV's biggest entertainment shows alongside Britain's Got Talent.

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