Rita Ora reportedly pulled out of a planned appearance on the current series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK at the last moment, forcing producers to draft in a mannequin as her replacement.
The most recent episode of the BBC Three series, which had an EastEnders theme, saw a mannequin called 'Mickayyy' - based on Danny Dyer's character in the soap - appear as the extra special guest judge on the runway.
No explanation was given in the episode for the seemingly-random addition to the judging panel, but according to The Sun, Mickayyy was used as a hasty stand-in for Ora.
"Everyone on set was anticipating Rita's arrival but, when she didn't show up, producers had to use their heads and came up with the idea of decorating a mannequin," a source told the newspaper.
"Surprisingly, it worked out OK and became a running joke."
The episode was filmed last November, although it is unclear whether Ora's aborted filming on the show came before or after she landed herself in hot water for a serious breach of coronavirus lockdown rules.
The final episode of Drag Race is released on BBC Three this Thursday at 7pm.
Neil Wilkes
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