Why Olly’s resilience could help him break UK’s curse
IN recent decades – bar 2022’s Sam Ryder – the UK has not done well at Eurovision.
But if anyone can defeat the curse, it’s this year’s entry, Olly Alexander.
After all, his life story is one of beating the odds, with the 33-year-old actor and singer overcoming bulimia, self-harm and depression to find fame.
From the age of 13, when his parents split up, Harrogate-born Olly and his brother Ben were brought up by mum Vicki.
The star has told how, due to trauma, he began cutting himself with a razor at 14 and was in the full grip of bulimia by 16.
He suffered from the eating disorder for the next seven years.
In 2017, Olly opened up about his experiences. “I got taken into hospital once with my mum because I had this irregular heartbeat, which can happen through constant purging, and that really scared me,” he said.
“I thought I’d done something irreparable to my body and my mum was so distraught.”
The condition, he said, was due to self-loathing and “not wanting to be gay”.
Olly also revealed there were certain times in his life when he would wake up feeling close to suicidal.
He studied Performing Arts at Hereford College of Arts before achieving stage and screen success.
Xaviere Hughes, the college’s vice principal of further education, said: “We teach our students to be brave and Olly demonstrates this both on and off the stage in advocating for issues that are important to him. Olly always had a sense of fun, confidence and drive.
“Artists are multi-skilled and Olly really embraced that, taking advantage of the course to explore music, dance, performing arts and production – all of which he has used to excel in his versatile, creative career.
“Everyone at the college is immensely proud of what he’s gone on to do.”
After leaving the college in 2008, Olly’s big break came in Jane Campion-directed film Bright Star alongside Ben Whishaw.
He went on to enjoy pop stardom fronting the band Years & Years, best known for the hits King and Desire.
After tackling his troubles with a combination of therapy and medication, multi-talented Olly has blazed his own trail, starring in films such as Great Expectations (2012) and The Riot Club (2014) as well as acclaimed 2021 TV series It’s a Sin opposite Keeley Hawes.
The country’s hopes will be on his shoulders when he performs his song Dizzy tonight.
But there has also been pressure from groups such as Queers for Palestine who have gathered in Malmo, Sweden, to voice outrage that Israel is being allowed to take part in this year’s competition.
Olly said: “A lot of the contestants and myself have been having a lot of comments that are, like, ‘You are complicit in a genocide by taking part in Eurovision’, which is quite extreme.
“My plan is to just focus on putting on a good performance in Malmo.”
■ The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Grand Final will be broadcast live tonight on BBC One from 8pm.