Ulrika Jonsson reminisces about her hair-raising clangers while presenting Eurovision in 1998 and reveals why she was rejected from the after party
Ulrika Jonsson reminisced about her hair-raising clangers while hosting Eurovision in the UK in 1998 and revealed she was later turned down for the lavish after-party.
The model, 55, revealed she was seriously ‘surprised’ that she landed the gig in the first place as she reminisced about the ‘magnificent’ opportunity.
That year’s Eurovision Song Contest was held in Birmingham and the presenter needed ‘countless’ meetings and rehearsals to prepare for the worldwide live broadcast which reached ‘thousands of viewers’.
said Ulrika The sun“I can’t deny that at times I was overwhelmed by the imposter syndrome and couldn’t escape the feeling that I was actually still auditioning for the role with each passing day.”
Before the first dress rehearsal, Ulrika explained that her co-presenter Terry Wogan had taken her and a few others to lunch.
Amazing: Ulrika Jonsson reminisced about her hair-raising clangers while hosting Eurovision in the UK in 1998 and why she was later turned down for the lavish after-party
Excited: After British contestant Katrina And The Waves won the previous year, the model, now 55, admitted she couldn’t have been more excited to co-host with legend Terry Wogan (pictured 1998)
She revealed that he “didn’t bother going to rehearsal that afternoon” because he really “didn’t need to.”
While attending to everyone to make sure she knew exactly what she was doing, especially if something went wrong.
The model gushed that she ‘would have been nothing without Terry’ and she loved every moment of being on the Eurovision stage.
Despite this, the show didn’t run smoothly, with Ulrika recalling that when the Dutch announcer said ‘a grown lady’ she was rather participated in Eurovision Ulrika said ‘foolishly’: ‘Oh, long time ago?’
Meanwhile, winner Dana International – the first transgender winner – caused herself and co-host Terry quite a bit of panic as she didn’t come to the stage to collect the award because she was busy “ruling backstage.”
Still not over the incident, Ulrika labeled the winner and all performers as “self-obsessed.”
Ulrika also revealed that prior to the show she had ‘given up the alcohol’ to prepare and once the show ended, Ulrika admitted she was excited to finally have a drink.
However, she had forgotten her “accreditation in her handbag” and was therefore sent away from the party after the show.
Committed: In preparation, Ulrika revealed that she had ‘given up alcohol three months earlier’ to make sure her mind was as ‘sharp’ as possible (1998 photo with UK contestant Imaani)
Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham have taken over hosting duties for this year’s competition in Liverpool, with radio DJs Scott Mills and Rylan providing the British public with their colorful commentary.
Alesha drove Eurovision fans wild when she harked back to her Mis-Teeq days earlier this week by performing a rap about the contest.
Presenting from Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, the 44-year-old judge on Britain’s Got Talent was hailed as an ‘icon’ by viewers – who were equally impressed by the sign language interpreter who held her.
The semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place on Thursday (May 11) ahead of the grand final on Saturday (May 13).
Unbelievable: Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham have taken over hosting duties for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, held from Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena