Harry Fletcher
May 15, 2022
BBC
Rylan Clark summed up the mood of Eurovision last night after his emotional reaction was seen by 150 million viewers around the world.
The presenter leapt out of his seat after Ukraine were named the winners in a tense final vote, which saw the UK come in second place.
It was only the third time this century that a UK contestant made it to the top 10 of the Eurovision final.
Sam Ryder put in a hugely impressive performance on the night, but it was Ukraine who were voted the winners amid the ongoing Russian invasion of their country.
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter.
Rylan was spotted jumping to his feet after the Eurovision hosts spoke about the importance of peace, emphasising the importance of compassion across the globe.
The presenter blew a kiss to the hosts during last night's showBBC
He was seen celebrating during the final moments of the contest by UK commentator Graham Norton and seemed to be overcome with emotion as he gave Ukrainian act Kalush Orchestra an ovation.
"Oh, there's Rylan. He's got in on the act,” Norton said.
He then joked: “His accreditation shouldn't get him into the green room but he made it. He just flashed his teeth."
Norton also spoke about the result by saying: "There are probably some relieved people at the BBC. It looked a bit dodgy there for a minute. We're going to have to host?
"But no, we got the ideal result really. All the glory with none of the expense."
It was an emotional night for Ukraine, with President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulating the winning group Kalush Orchestra by saying: "Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe!
"Next year Ukraine will host the Eurovision song contest. I thank the Kalush Orchestra for this victory and everyone who gave us your votes!
"I am sure that the sound of victory in the battle with the enemy is not far off."
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)
x