Bethany Hamilton defends competing on ‘The Masked Singer’ weeks after 3-year-old niece’s death

Bethany Hamilton defended competing on “The Masked Singer” just weeks after announcing the heartbreaking death of her 3-year-old niece.

“We will all face challenges at some point in our lives, and I really wanted to encourage people to know that they can endure and persevere, and that so much good and beauty can come from some of the worst things in life.” Hamilton, 34, He told People in an interview after being unmasked as Macaron on the November 13 episode of the show.

The surfer, who lost his left arm in a shark attack when he was 13, added that he was “grateful” for the opportunity to compete on Season 12 of the Fox series.

“Every time I appear in the public eye, I want to remind people to overcome difficulties in life,” Hamilton added.

The mother of four admitted that she has no professional singing experience and only sings around her family. She shares Micah, 3, Wesley, 6, Tobias, 9, and Alaya, born in January 2023, with husband Adam Dirks.

“When I was first invited, I thought they were going to put me on as a judge — I literally had no idea,” he said. “I sing to my children every day, but I cannot say that this is my talent and my ability to live.”

He later joked, “Maybe I’ll keep surfing.”

Hamilton spoke about his experience on the program, saying that he “loved the challenge” and described his participation as “very enjoyable”.

“I feel like I’m living a double life,” he said. “But I think my biggest goal right now is, of course, to raise my children to be safe and confident and to surpass themselves.”

The athlete announced on October 19 that his nephew Andrew died after a drowning incident.

“The Lord has taken my sweet nephew Andrew into his beautiful care,” he said. he wrote on Instagram at the time along with several photographs of the dead child. “My family and I will miss her dearly, but we trust that her joy was filled with Jesus.”

She also posted a prayer that Andrew’s family members recited after his death.

“This prayer is an incredible representation of what it means to have faith,” he said, before thanking his fans and friends for their support.