Euro flops
★ WITH the UK back to hosting the event after years of languishing down the bottom of the scoreboard, Eurovision kicks off tonight in Liverpool with the semi-final ahead of Saturday’s main event.
While runner-up Sam Ryder finally injected a bit of cool back into our attempt to win last year, there are many stars who had a crack at representing the UK who might prefer it was taken off their CVs.
★ Here KIM CARR reveals 10 famous faces who didn’t even make it past the first post in their bid to compete at Eurovision for us…
1 Following her time in Popstars band Hear’Say, now actress and This Morning Live presenter Kym Marsh had a crack at a short-lived solo career. While her first release Cry hit No2 in the charts, her Eurovision attempt Whisper To Me failed to get much backing in 2006. She came fourth in the Making Your Mind Up contest and Daz Sampson went on to take his effort Teenage Life to Athens instead.
2 She’s coming full circle performing at Eurovision in Liverpool but in 2009 then unknown Rita Ora auditioned in front of Andrew Lloyd Webber for Your Country Needs You. While offered the gig, she turned down the chance to go to Moscow as our act.
3 He’s gone on to bigger and better things acting in Westworld and Marvel’s The Punisher, but things could have turned out very differently for Ben Barnes. He was a member of boyband Hyrise whose Leading Me On could have easily been a hit for Blue. They came second in 2004 to Fame Academy’s James Fox who went to Turkey with Hold On To Our Love.
4 Former Page 3 girl Samantha Fox’s band Sox failed to get picked in 1995 when the BBC changed the format and allowed eight acts to go head-tohead in the Song for Europe contest.
5 Meanwhile Ant McPartlin’s ex-wife Lisa Armstrong, who is now the head of make-up on Strictly, took part in 1995 with her band Deuce’s Eurotastic I Need You but was robbed of the chance to go to Dublin by rap act Love City Groove.
6 Being pregnant with first son Harvey didn’t put Katie Price off entering Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up in 2005 with Not Just Anybody. Her caterwauling lost out to Popstars: The Rivals finalist Javine Hylton who went to Kyiv with Touch My Fire after herself missing a place in Girls Aloud.
7 East 17 frontman Brian Harvey’s I Can Make Up Your Mind failed to do what the title said in 2007 and we sent pop combo Scooch to Helsinki instead.
8 It was also bad news for The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins who teamed up with Beverlei Brown with They Don’t Make ’Em Like They Used To in 2007.
9 Actress Tricia Penrose offered cheesefest DJ Romeo but failed to romance voters in 2002. Jessica Garlick beat her and came third in Estonia.
10 Broadcaster Jonathan Maitland swapped hosting House Of Horrors for entering the 2002 contest with his band Surf N Turf’s Motown ditty I Give In.