THE EUROVISION final kicks off on Saturday night – and the UK is in with a real chance of winning.
In recent years our entries haven’t had as much promise as Sam Ryder, who is second favourite to win the contest this weekend in Turin, Italy according to bookies.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra are favourites to win Eurovision with their rousingly defiant tune Stefania.
But Sam’s track Spaceman has drawn comparisons to Elton John and was written by Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Wadge.
It’s a far cry from last year’s James Newman, who finished with an embarrassing nul points after waiting two years to get on stage.
Last year James, 36, won a High Court case against ex-Voice contestant Kelly-Marie Smith, who claimed he’d copied one of her songs.
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So where have other UK hopefuls ended up?
From becoming a football manager to suffering a shock heart attack, we take a look at where past contenders are now.
1991 – Samantha Womack
EastEnders actress Samantha Womack – nee Janus – came in a respectable 10th with song A Message To Your Heart.
She went on to play Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders from 2007 until 2017, when the character was killed off.
In 2014, she was terrorised by a stalker who waited outside her home.
The actress, now 49, revealed she split with husband Mark in 2018, but they continued living together until finding new partners.
She is now dating Corrie actor Oliver Farnworth after they grew close while acting together in the 2019 stage adaptation of thriller The Girl On The Train.
1993 – Sonia
Pop star Sonia came second in 1993 with track Better The Devil You Know.
She had already become the youngest ever Brit to get a number one at the time, aged just 18, after she was signed by Pete Waterman.
She disappeared from the limelight for a while but returned in 2018 on Channel 5 series Celebrity 5 Go Caravanning.
She released her single Dancing in the Driver’s Seat shortly after and signed with Energise records the following year.
Now 51, she is still performing today.
1999 – Precious
Girl band Precious – featuring a young Jenny Frost – came in 12th with catchy song Say It Again.
In 2001 Frost, now 44, replaced Kerry Katona in Atomic Kitten and the group went straight to number one with Whole Again.
In 2008 Jenny fronted BBC Three makeover programme Snog, Marry, Avoid shortly after having son Caspar with ex-husband Dominic Thrupp.
And in 2020 she reunited with Atomic Kitten to release Euros anthem Southgate You’re The One.
Jenny moved to Ibiza and married scuba instructor Vincente Spiteri in 2011, before having twins Nico and Blake.
2002 – Jessica Garlick
Pop Idol contestant Jessica Garlick came in joint third in the Eurovision final held in Tallinn, Estonia.
She had reached the final 10 in the 2001 pop reality show but was booted out in just week two.
In 2004, Jessica married former rugby player Owen Satterley in Las Vegas.
She soon tired of showbiz and quit the States to become a stay-at-home mum to her two daughters.
Speaking to Wales Online she said: “I decided to become the little wife.
“I’d had enough of going out every night, and I wasn’t spending any time with Owen.”
She released a comeback single, Hard Not To Fall, in 2009 before quitting pop altogether.
2003 – Jemini
Blonde, Scouse pop duo Jemini were left red-faced after their dodgy performance landed them nul points in Latvia.
Terry Wogan claimed the embarrassing result was backlash due to the Iraq war, while Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey blamed technical difficulties.
Shortly after the contest they went their separate ways.
In 2016, it was reported Gemma received a suspended sentence for falsely claiming £67,000 in tax credits after her partner moved in with her.
Meanwhile Chris has climbed the ladder at fashion brand Ted Baker and now works as its Global Retail Operations Manager.
2006 – Daz Sampson
Footballer-turned-music producer Daz Sampson was a member of the band Bus Stop and had originally penned the song Teenage Life for boyband Blazin’ Squad.
When they turned it down he performed it at Eurovision – reaching 19th place.
He told 2019 documentary How It Happened: “The Eurovision Song Contest is something that I get a lot of stick for now, but I don’t care because I love it.”
In 2019 and 2021, Daz attempted to reach the Eurovision final for Belarus, but failed both times.
He also played profession football in Guam, which he returned to.
Now his day job is working as a football talent scout and manager. He was due to join Phuentsholing United FC in Bhutan before the pandemic hit.
2007 – Scooch
Dressed in air steward outfits, quartet Scooch came 22nd at the contest with Flying the Flag (For You).
But they got off to a rocky start when singer Charlotte Church branded the track “absolute s**t” in a vlog.
Band member Russ Spencer hit back: “What a pity the voice of an angel has acquired the mouth of a sewer.”
Years after Eurovision, Russ and bandmate Caroline Barnes started dating and are still together, according to the Daily Star.
Meanwhile David Ducasse was left in hospital after having a heart attack in 2019. He now works as a consultant at Slimming World according to his LinkedIn page.
And Natalie Powers, who was the lead vocalist, runs a performing arts academy and is a mum-of-three.
2015 – Electro Velvet
Dup Electro Velvet featured X Factor contestants Alex Larke and Bianca Nicholas.
Sadly, Still In Love With You finished 24th in the contest out of 27 countries.
Bianca was born with cystic fibrosis and has used her platform to speak about how it affects her mental health to help raise awareness of the condition and break down the stigma.
She revealed on Twitter that she became a mum last year.
Alex Larke went on to become a singing teacher but heartbreakingly told how the pandemic ruined his livelihood.
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The dad-of-three was left £40,000 in debt while unable to work.
He told The Celeb Report in January: “It’s terrifying when a bill lands. Gas and electricity are the worst because you are never sure how much they are going to be. I feel sick.”
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