Eurovision fans went wild on Thursday when presenter Hannah Waddingham showed off a very unexpected talent during the second round of the semi-final.
The actress, 48, stunned viewers around the world as she spoke in fluent French to recite the rules of the contest at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.
Her co-hosts Alesha Dixon, 44, and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, 32, had read from the teleprompter in English.
Impressed by Hannah’s abilities, shocked home viewers rushed to Twitter, where they showered her with praise.
One joked, “Hannah Waddingham speaks French, maybe I’m not gay.”
‘I think I’m in love!’ Eurovision fans went wild on Thursday when presenter Hannah Waddingham showed off a very unexpected talent during the second round of the semi-final
Talented: The actress, 48, wowed viewers around the world as she spoke in fluent French to recite the rules of the match at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena
Another wrote: ‘People train their whole lives to be as effortlessly charismatic and likeable as Hannah Waddingham #eurovision.’
Someone else said: ‘Watching the #Eurovision semi-final, huge crush on Hannah Waddingham… she’s exactly what I want to be when I grow up.’
An Australian viewer quipped: “Hannah Waddingham speaks French and I’m a little happier than I was five minutes ago… #SBSEurovision.”
And another concluded, “I think I’m in love with Hannah Waddingham now. Beautiful, funny, great voice and she can speak French #Eurovision #EUROVISION2023.’
Ted Lasso’s Alesha and Hannah brought the glamor to Liverpool as 16 acts gathered at the arena to compete for a spot in Saturday’s grand final.
The Mis-Teeq singer, 44, and the actress pulled out all the stops as they took the stage to present the show, which aired on BBC One, alongside Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, 32.
Alesha looked fabulous in a strapless black corset dress with sheer mesh panels and a dramatic train.
Hannah, meanwhile, put on a leggy display in a busty strapless yellow mini dress that showed off her hourglass figure.
Hannah completed the look with yellow pointed heels.
Wow! Impressed with Hannah’s abilities, shocked home viewers rushed to Twitter, where they showered her with praise
Julia, meanwhile, stood out in a blue metallic jumpsuit with puff sleeves and stitching down the legs.
In a rule change this year, the decision on who advances is entirely up to the public, with national juries having their say during Saturday’s final.
31 countries will compete in two semi-finals, 10 of which will advance to the final.
Last year’s winner, Ukraine, automatically advanced to the grand final, along with the big five, consisting of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
The ten acts that came through on Tuesday were; Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czech Republic, Israel, Sweden, Serbia, Portugal and Norway.
Following a crash, Irish Eurovision act Wild Youth slammed the contest in a furious post after failing to secure a spot in Saturday’s final.
The group was one of five acts to be eliminated in the semi-finals on Tuesday after singing their song We Are One.
In a now-deleted post, the band’s frontman Conor O’Donohoe took to Instagram to claim that their country “never got a chance,” with a screenshot of the caption later shared by a fan on Twitter.
Oh well: her co-hosts Alesha Dixon, 44, and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, 32, had read from the teleprompter in English
Hot stuff: Alesha and Ted Lasso’s Hannah brought the glamor to Liverpool as 16 acts gathered at the arena to compete for a spot in Saturday’s grand final
He wrote: ‘We did what we could. Michael Kealy (RTE’s Eurovision Head of Delegation) was great. But the truth is they never give Ireland a chance. Sorry if we let you down, we did our best.’
It comes as Mae Muller’s performance in the upcoming Eurovision 2023 grand final could be in jeopardy.
The British entry, 25, has been forced to go on vocal rest after this week’s dress rehearsals by her vocal coach.
During an update to her fans on Twitter on Wednesday, Mae shared a photo of herself with a “vocal rest” sign around her neck.
Disappointed at the news, she explained, “As someone who can’t stfu if his life depends on it, things aren’t going well x.”
“My vocal coach literally had to make me carry a sign to make me shut up, I’m so embarrassed omg.”