Angelo Kelly (38) voluntarily said goodbye to the musical advice show "The Masked Singer" (ProSieben) on Tuesday evening. He explains the exact reason in an interview with the news agency spot on news. He also explains why he has always had food supplies – and which current bunker passion he cannot fully understand.
How are you doing right now
Angelo Kelly: We're all fine. The reason to get out is not that we currently suspect an illness in the family. I am at home with my family in Ireland. We've been living far out in the country here for eight years.
Why did you get out?
Kelly: After the show last week, I went home on schedule. It was planned that I would travel back and forth every week. When the situation became more and more acute everywhere, in my case I found it irresponsible to continue with the program. Because I don't have the ability to isolate myself. If I lived in Germany near Cologne, I would have been better able to isolate myself and drive my own car. Instead, I would have met many people on the way to and from Ireland. That would have been irresponsible to my family and other people.
How did the transmitter react?
Kelly: He reacted very well, which I am very grateful for. In my case, they had a lot of understanding for the decision and everything was quickly resolved.
And how sad are you now? How much were you looking forward to the show?
Kelly: The show was a lot of fun. I have not regretted that I have registered myself and offered to participate. I was a big fan of season one and really wanted to be there. The broadcaster was also happy about my interest. I found my character funny and musically it was also a big challenge. I would have loved to go on.
What was it like to cancel?
Kelly: I am a full professional and have never canceled a gig in my life. I thoroughly internalized "The Show must go on" and always lived it. For the first time I found it unimportant. Health, family is important and above all I don't want to be responsible for infecting another person.
Her brother, John Kelly, also left prematurely on "Let's Dance". Did you discuss that?
Kelly: We have had a lot more contact as a family in the past few weeks than usual. Probably many other people are currently experiencing this. And there was also a lot of contact with John. All I can say is that he lives in Spain and has certainly had a problem similar to mine.
How difficult was the secrecy for you, especially with regard to your band The Kelly Family. Did you have to swindle a lot?
Kelly: Total. For the first time in my life, I had to lie to so many people at the same time. I always said that I had to go to the studio to finish my new album. Luckily, that was partly true because it was a bit parallel, so it was mostly a half-lie. Now of course I am glad that I can tell the truth. This complete secrecy is one of the biggest challenges of the show. You really feel a bit like being a secret agent. I have experienced a lot, it has topped everything.
How was it with John Kelly in particular when he talked to you about "Let's Dance"?
Kelly: I avoided talking to my siblings about "Let's Dance". When the topic came up, I just didn't respond or apologized for the album recordings. It was strange for me, especially because the studios of "The Masked Singer" and "Let's Dance" are on the same site.
What do you think of the other "The Masked Singer" colleagues?
Kelly: I strongly suspect that it's a buddy of mine. Here at this show we are wearing our costume, are not allowed to talk to each other and we all abide by the rules. Of course, that makes and keeps the show exciting, also for us. I didn't expect that, it surprised me. We guess as much internally as the audience. It is really blatant how secret everything is.
Are you in quarantine now?
Kelly: I would say that as a family we are in a kind of quarantine as a precaution. We are lucky that we live in a country house with a large plot of land, a forest and a river. That means we can move a little bit. We are also very self-sufficient and, by the way, have always had food supplies here. That's why I don't quite understand the current panic of supplies. We also always had something at home before Corona, just for moments when musicians might not get any money. We have always had that. What we do not have and will not have is toilet paper. I can't understand that either. But well, we have a forest here and worst case leaves, maybe that's why. (laughs)