ITV's Mo Gilligan says 'I wasn't hiding' as he confirms love child in surprise post

The Masked Singer judge Mo Gilligan has left fans reeling after appearing to confirm rumours he has a secret child and another on the way. The much-loved comedian and presenter, 37, has sparked a frenzy online following reports he quietly fathered a baby with model Selina Christoforou after a brief romance. He is now believed to be expecting a second child with his current partner and wellness influencer Taia Tulher.

After days of swirling speculation, Mo finally took to Instagram and subtly acknowledged the claims by sharing a touching black-and-white clip to his Story. The video shows the star playing a game of giant Connect Four with a toddler, whose face was covered with a heart emoji. Mo lovingly referred to the child as "Rudi". He soundtracked the emotional post with a pointed lyric from Drake's hit Emotionless: "I wasn't hidin' my kid from the world / I was hidin' the world from my kid." (sic)

The rapper famously used the line to address his own secret fatherhood, and it appears to be Mo's way of breaking his silence without saying a word.

The song continued: "From empty souls, who just wake up and look to debate / Until you starin' at your seed, you can never relate. Breaking news in my life, I don't run to the blogs / The only ones I wanna tell are the ones I can call. They always ask, Why let the story run if it's false? /You know, a wise man once said nothin' at all." (sic)

There is no further explanation or comment on the post from Gilligan providing details on exactly who the boy is, but the name he calls him lines up with the previous reports.

It follows a report from The Sun that the Masked Singer judge had a brief romance with Christoforou in 2023 after they connected through social media. Their son, named Rudi, was born in January 2024. Insiders suggest that he sees the child "semi-regularly".

"Mo met Selina after messaging her on social media, and they hung out casually for a few months," the anonymous source claimed, adding: "She found out she was pregnant in May 2023, and it was quite a shock for them both because they'd been fairly careful. But she wanted to have the baby, despite the fact they weren't a couple.

"She adores their son, and Mo sees him semi-regularly. Now he's about to become a dad for a second time, and he's over the moon."