Sarah Palin, former Vice President candidate, appears on The Masked Singer US

Palin ran on a ticket with Republican presidential candidate John McCain in 2008, ultimately losing to Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Few could have expected that a little over a decade later, she would be proudly declaring "I like big butts and I cannot lie" in front of an audience of millions.

She appeared on the show in a pink and purple bear costume, with the judges initially clueless as to what her true identity could have been.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJPcC1-uAeM

When she was eventually unmasked, judge Nicole Scherzinger first thought she was Tina Fey, which is ironic as the comedy actress famously portrayed Palin on Saturday Night Live.

Palin said that the bear costume was a reference to Alaska, where she served as Governor from December 2006 until July 2009.

The judging panel was astonished to learn she had been the one rapping on stage, with presenter Nick Cannon saying it "might be the most shocked I've ever been on this show."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ciC2asjoo0

The Masked Singer has been a ratings hit in the US, recently debuting a UK version on ITV which saw an average of 6.3 million viewers per episode.

Former Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts won the first UK series, beating competition from comedian Jason Manford and opera singer Katherine Jenkins.

The Masked Singer UK will return for a second series later this year