POP royalty wished Mae Muller good luck ahead of the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest being held in Liverpool for the first time in the UK since 1998.
Thousands of Eurovision fans descended on Liverpool as the city gears up to host the grand final of the 2023 song contest on Saturday with McDonalds handing out free McNuggets for those in the Eurovision Village.
The UK, which came second last year, is hosting this year’s contest on behalf of 2022’s winner Ukraine, who could not stage the show due to the Russian invasion.
Singers and groups from 26 countries will take to the stage at the M&S Bank Arena to compete for the Eurovision Trophy, with the live show starting at 8pm LIVE on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer.
As well as packing out the arena, fans are filling the Eurovision Village in Liverpool to cheer on their favourites.
The countries taking part tonight are UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Israel, Portugal, Serbia, Ukraine, Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Belgium, Austria, Lithuania, Poland, Australia, Armenia and Slovenia.
Former One Direction star Liam Payne has wished Muller luck in a tweet. Other celebrities sending their support include Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue and Olly Murs.
Dame Judi Dench and Gemma Collins were among the celebrities to wish UK entrant Mae Muller good luck in the grand final.
In a video posted to the BBC Eurovision Instagram account, Collins told Muller to “channel your best Eurovision vibes”.
She said: “Do it for our country, darling, and I am so proud of you. I’m supporting you. Good luck.”
Katrina And The Waves frontwoman Katrina Leskanich, who became the last UK winner of the competition after performing Love Shine A Light with the band in 1997, said the gods are shining on Eurovision.
She spoke after coming off stage at the Eurovision Village in Liverpool on Saturday.
She said: “I think everybody’s trying extra hard to make it about Ukraine and make it really super special and coming from a different place.
“This is like the most beautiful day that they’ve ever had in Liverpool and I hate the word blessed but, you know what I’m saying?
“It’s like the gods are shining on this Eurovision.”
