An EastEnders star may have inadvertently dropped a massive hint that he's the celeb under The Masked Singer's Bear guise during a live on-air blunder.

ITV's hit show The Masked Singer sees celebrities in elaborate costumes belting out tunes without revealing their true identities.

Already in its sixth series in the UK, the programme has lifted the mask off six individuals so far, among them television host Mel Giedroyc who was revealed to be Teeth.

Other familiar faces unveiled include Kate Garraway from Good Morning Britain appearing as Spag Bol; The Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith disguised as Pegasus; singer Carol Decker as Tattoo; soul icon Macy Gray as Toad in the Hole, and Olympic legend Mo Farah as Giant Joel.

There are still seven contestants remaining - Wolf, Snail, Bush, Kingfisher, Bear, Dressed Crab and Pufferfish - and show devotees have been dissecting every hint in order to guess the stars behind them.

Bear in particular has sparked rampant speculation, but fans might now have received the most significant clue yet, reports .

During an ITV News interview, EastEnders actor Richard Blackwood appeared to have let slip he is the famous face behind the costume. When asked directly about it live on-air, he seemed to stumble over his words.

"Just quickly, before we finish, are you doing The Masked Singer? Because you're getting loads of attention about it this week. Can you exclusively reveal it to us?" the presenter queried, putting Blackwood on the spot.

"Just quickly, before we finish, are you doing The Masked Singer? Because you're getting loads of attention about it this week. Can you exclusively reveal it to us? " the reporter queried, putting Blackwood on the spot.

"I could... because you made me feel so good and stuff," he began, looking flustered. "No, I can't, I can't. But the moves and the way I... I mean, that's how I would do it."

Social media has been abuzz with speculation linking Richard to Bear. One avid viewer tweeted: "Bear is deffo Richard Blackwood his middle name is Clifford #TheMaskedSinger", while another fan speculated: "Bear - Richard Blackwood #TheMaskedSinger."

Beyond Richard, a swarm of viewers are certain that the artist behind Bear is none other than singer-songwriter Example, known offstage as Elliot John Gleave.

Yet another popular guess among fans is Anthony Head, the 70-year-old actor renowned for his role as Rupert Giles in the cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which aired from 1997 to 2003.

The Masked Singer continues tomorrow night at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX