Ukraine are the favourites for this Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest
On Saturday the Eurovision Song Contest returns to our screens. We can't wait. We love everything about it. The outfits, the nul points, and of course Graham Norton's deliciously scathing commentary.
This year's competition is taking place in Turin, Italy and yesterday at the semi-finals Ukraine confirmed its place in the final.
Its entry Stefania by Kalush Orchestra, a folk-rap band, is now the favourite to win the competition.
The band have gained legions of fans ever since it was announced they would be taking part in the contest, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Band member Oleh Psiuk told the BBC: 'For our country, it is so important to have victories in all ways. So if we win, it will be another opportunity to show Ukraine to the world, to remind people about Ukraine, and to increase morale in the whole country.'
It will be a huge night for the country if its song wins and its commentator told BBC Radio 5 Live that a special bunker had been built to ensure that he is able to continue with his broadcast even if there's an air raid.
Timur Miroshnychenko explained 'For Ukrainians, we love the Eurovision Song Contest and it’s very important for us even right now, even if for two hours in the evening, all if all of us can hold a peaceful life.’
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Russia has been banned from competing this year. Officials announced that allowing the country to take part 'would bring the competition into disrepute.'
We'll definitely be watching on Saturday and cheering Kalush Orchestra on.
Katie Thomas is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over 10 years of experience on women's luxury lifestyle titles, she covers everything from the best beauty looks from the red carpet and stand out trends from the catwalk, to colonic irrigation and to the best mascaras on the market. She started her career on fashion desks across the industry - from The Telegraph to Brides - but found her calling in the Tatler beauty department. From there she moved to Instyle, before joining the Marie Claire digital team in 2018. She’s made it her own personal mission to find the best concealer in the world to cover her tenacious dark circles. She’s obsessed with skincare that makes her skin bouncy and glowy, low-maintenance hair that doesn’t require brushing and a cracking good manicure. Oh and she wears more jewellery than the Queen.
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