Darren Hayes appeared on The Masked Singer due to 'financial pressures' ... trends now
Darren Hayes says that he joined The Masked Singer because he needed a 'distraction' from the breakdown of his marriage.
The pop star, 51, split from his husband Richard Cullen in May, after spending 17 years together as a couple, then filing for divorce in September.
The Courier Mail also claimed that 'financial pressures' from releasing his new album, Homosexual, and embarking on a world tour as an independent artist contributed to his decision to compete on the series.
'I think if you look at that album and what I was singing about, I was making the decision to sort of move on by coming back to music,' Hayes told the publication.
The former Savage Garden frontman also spoke of how difficult it was to address his divorce from Cullen, especially being so private.
The Masked Singer's Darren Hayes, 51, says he did The Masked Singer as a distraction from his marriage breakdown to long-time husband Richard Cullen. (Hayes is pictured on the show)
'Like anything, it's liberating at first because I think there was a part of me that was asleep for a long time and a part of me that was grieving for a long time but releasing a statement about a marriage ending is hard for someone like me who's a private person,' he added.
Hayes was the runner-up as 'Grim Reaper' behind Eurovision star Dami Im, who appeared on the show as 'Snow Fox', before taking home the win.
The Insatiable star finished by saying he didn't want to tell his mother about his appearance on the show as he signed an non-disclosure agreement.
Hayes separated from his husband in May. (The former couple are pictured in happier times)
The Australian pop star filed for divorce in Los Angeles in September, citing irreconcilable differences, according to a report by TMZ at the time.
It was just months after the
