The Masked Singer: Darren Hayes on why he's a huge fan of Abbie Chatfield

Abbie Chatfield guessed that Darren Hayes was behind the Grim Reaper mask early on in the latest season of The Masked Singer, with the big reveal last night leaving both stars emotional as they came face-to-face.

Upon his reveal, a tearful Abbie reiterated how much Darren and his music had meant to her over the years, especially as she was coming to terms with her bisexuality.

Darren also teared up. "Don't make me cry. I was signed to a record company that hated that I was gay. It was a desperate plea to be loved."

The superstar continued, saying to Abbie: "I used to hate myself because I was gay. The reason I cried when you told your story was because I desperately needed someone to say those words."

The pair also found out they have a shared connection beyond the impact of Darren's music and lyrics on Abbie's life.

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"I went to university with her mother!" Darren told Yahoo Lifestyle. "That's what she told me."

Upon meeting properly backstage, Darren said the two shed more tears.

"Oh my god, I love her," he gushed. "We just held hands and we're crying and we were holding everyone up because you had to do publicity shots. But it was just incredible."

Darren Hayes on why he loves Abbie Chatfield

Darren said he had been a fan of Abbie's after watching her navigate her career in the entertainment industry, which can still be a very misogynistic and patriarchal environment.

"I've been a fan of her career," he said. "I grew up in a violent home, with an alcoholic dad. So misogyny, violence against women, things like that, are things that I feel very strongly about. And I see a lot of challenges that she faces in her career when it comes to misogyny, and so on. It really touches me and a lot of the things that she talks about, I relate to."

Darren said he was also surprised Abbie was such a fan of his, despite his longstanding career in the music industry.

"I had no idea that she knew I existed," he laughed. "It's one of those things, it's like 'I'm a fan of you and you know who I am?' Like, I love you."

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