Masked Singer star John Lydon has revealed he suffered agonising injuries while taking part in the show.
John, who is also known to fans as Johnny Rotten, has admitted he was left in pain “for a long time” after starring as Yak.
The punk musician says he hurt himself a a result of wearing the character’s giant metal-framed costume.
John has described the huge purple and orange Yak outfit as “so heavy”, adding that it was “crushing”.
His comments come after John was unmasked as Yak during Saturday night’s episode of The Masked Singer.
The Masked Singer’s John Lydon opens up about injuries
John spoke candidly about his Masked Singer experience during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning.
As the punk icon chatted to hosts Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, he revealed he “put out” both his shoulder and his back.
But while he admitted to the damage it did, John appeared to take it all in good humour.
John explained: “It was so difficult, that costume. The weight of it.
“It felt like a steel frame but was aluminium. I practiced with that and the handlebars for the head, but once the material went on, it became so heavy.
“It put my shoulder out. And I had backaches for a long time. You’re standing there for 25 minutes with all that weight crushing you.
“You also can’t see nothing in there!”
John also revealed producers offered him several character choices before filming began. However, he admitted he said no to them all.
“They gave me options,” he said, laughing. “I said no to all of them.”
How Yak became his final look remains unclear. But John made no secret of how tough it was to perform inside the outfit.
“The weight of the damn thing!” he added. “You can hear me huffing and puffing to Let’s Get Physical.
“I had to try and find a different voice in there. But you cannot sing in an outfit like that.
“It is so hot and heavy. I put my shoulder out, put my back out. But it was worth every penny!”
How much was John Lydon paid?
John mused several times about his Masked Singer fee during his This Morning interview.
However, he stopped short of revealing the exact figure.
What he did share was what the money is now being used for. According to John, the pay cheque is funding a special trip with his Sex Pistols bandmates.
He revealed: “The money has now paid for us to go and record in Portugal and have a little holiday afterwards!”
Despite dealing with shoulder and back trouble, John spoke warmly about his time on the show.
He described the experience as fun and insisted he has no regrets.
“I’m up for a laugh,” he said. “Whole families can watch, it’s great fun!”
John found himself in the bottom two on Saturday night alongside Monkey Business. Viewers have since been busy trying to guess the identity of the female singer, who performs dressed as a monkey in a striped business suit.
The Masked Singer returns to ITV this Saturday January 17, 2026 at 7pm.
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