Busted's Charlie Simpson, from Ipswich, crowned winner of ITV's The Masked Singer UK

Busted's Charlie Simpson has been crowned winner of The Masked Singer 2023.

The Ipswich born singer-songwriter secretly performed as a Rhino throughout the competition, before being named winner last night..

Simpson, 37, rose to fame with with boyband, Busted, who had hits with Year 3000 and Crashed The Wedding.

Simpson attended Framlingham College prep school Brandeston Hall – and then at Uppingham School, where his great grandfather Robert Sterndale Bennett had been a most influential Director of Music between 1908 and 1945.

Simpson said he did not expect to win the show and just tried to “remember the lyrics and have fun”.

He performed three times on the finale , beating Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, who was disguised as a Phoenix.

Judges Rita Ora and Davina McCall were convinced the Rhino had been the pop singer and guessed his identity correctly.

Jonathan Ross thought it was singer James Arthur while guest judge Lee Mack plumped for George Ezra.

Charlie Simpson is a member of multi-BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band Fightstar.

He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and drums.

The youngest of three boys, Simpson was born in Ipswich, and has two brothers, Will and Edd

He announced he was leaving Busted to pursue his career full-time with Fightstar in January 2005.

Simpson then funded and put together a compilation album called The Suffolk Explosion, which was released through his own label Sandwich Leg Records.

It showcased a number of unsigned bands from Charlie's home county, including Brigade and Prego, as well as a solo-acoustic track written by him called Carry Her.