Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora Unmasked As Jacket Potato

Former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was revealed as the mystery singer on a new episode of The Masked Singer UK over the weekend.

While on the show, Sambora stunned judges - broadcaster Jonathan Ross, stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan, pop singer Rita Ora and television presenter Davina McCall and audiences alike with his renditions of Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley, Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, Fleetwood Mac's Go Your Own Way and John Newman's Love Me Again as his final song.

Sambora said upon his elimination and unmasking, per NME: "I love being a guitar player and a songwriter. And, of course, I’m very privileged and honoured to have had so much success and the accolades of being a Grammy winner, an Ivor Novello Award winner and a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee, but what I really love to do is sing!"

He added, "My hiatus from Bon Jovi and the Covid impact on my solo touring meant I could only do one thing, which is make a new record until I saw The Masked Singer! I loved it, and it was a lot of fun to watch it at a time where due to lockdowns and being forced to be at home, the world was a little quieter than it had been since Bon Jovi kicked off 37 years ago."

When Sambora was still in Bon Jovi, he would accompany singer Jon Bon Jovi and provide raspy harmonies on classic tracks like Wanted (Dead Or Alive), Livin' On A Prayer; I'll Be There For You, and more.

In 2013, Sambora left Bon Jovi, a decision he knew was unpopular, he said in an interview with The Music.

“It was my daughter and my family,” he detailed his reasons for leaving the band. “I missed so much of my daughter's life, and my heart was breaking.

“I know [leaving Bon Jovi] wasn't a popular decision that I made, but… 30 years is a good run. It's almost unheard of. I had to make a pretty unpopular decision, but I had a chance to go to my kid's parent-teacher night, her sweet 16 birthday party; I got to go and watch her cheerlead – honestly, that bond needed to be done. I missed it.

“I missed so much of her life, and she's all I got. My wife [actress Heather Locklear] and I are obviously divorced, and I want to be a dad.”

Sambora claimed the workload was also extreme, with the band keeping a schedule that didn't allow him to have a sufficient balance in his life.

“I needed a little more time home to be with the family, but the guys wanted to go, so that's cool," he added. "I don't think it's the end of the organisation or the end of the band at any point. People grow at different speeds, and they have different desires.

“But I have no malice whatsoever. And I think at some point we'll make some more records and go out and tour again, but it's time for a break, man.”