EXCLUSIVE: Eurovision fans are in for a treat this weekend as the annual singing contest returns to screens – but one show legend has sat down with us in a tell-all chat
Eurovision is set to smash our screens for another year of singing celebrations – but one legend from the show has surprised fans with her real name revelation.
Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker, 71, spoke exclusively to Daily Star at the Which Bingo Awards which took place in Gibraltar earlier this week where she spoke about the origin of her stage name after being born as Rita Crudgington.
She explained: “In 1975, I rang an agent to say that I’d be interested in joining this band. And the guy on the other end, his name was Lynn Miller, was the manager, and he said, ‘What’s your name?’ And I said, ‘Rita Crudgington’. And his exact words were that ‘That will have to go’.”
But how did the singer feel about this? She answered: “I didn’t care, I’m still Rita, my friends and family, my neighbours, if you know me, you call me Rita.
“To be honest, it’s harder for everybody else than it is for me, but I answer to both names.
“Funnily enough, when I first met my husband, he knew me as Cheryl for 12 years. But when we started going out together, he started calling me, Rita, and I though it sounded really weird. But he said, ‘Your family call you Reet, so I’d be weird if I could be Cheryl’.”
The TV star also shared her prediction for the UK this weekend as she thinks we “have a real chance” despite the bookies’ odds saying we only have a predicted 1% likelihood of winning.
Cheryl also spoke about why she thinks there’s not been many times the UK has been able to take home the trophy.
She explained: “It’s got lot to do with the song. I don’t think it’s just political. People blame it on politics, the fact that nobody likes us, but I don’t think it’s that. I think you’ve got to have a great song, a great performance, great production, and then you’ve got the chance of winning, but I think we’ve missed the mark in previous years, apart from when Sam Ryder.”
Earlier this week, Cheryl jetted off to Gibraltar for the Which Bingo Awards where attendees were thrilled to see the star wrap up the night with a stellar performance of her 1981 Eurovision winning track, Making Your Mind Up.
Cheryl stunned revellers with a sequin number and sophisticated up-do as she jumped on stage for an epic performance.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
