Olly Alexander’s ‘incredibly proud’ mum helps hometown plan huge Eurovision watch party
Fancy a party at Olly Alexander’s hometown’s Eurovision Party? (Insta/@ollyalexanderr and Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
If you can’t make it to Malmö, Sweden for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, Olly Alexander‘s hometown has put together the next best thing: and his mum Vicki is helping promote the event.
The It’s a Sin star is being celebrated in his hometown of Coleford, Gloucestershire with a huge Eurovision party.
GloucestershireLive reported that the Coleford Eurovision party is being held to enthusiastically support Alexander when he steps onto the Eurovision stage representing the UK on 11 May. The 33-year-old queer musician will be performing his new song “Dizzy”.
Olly Alexander is one of several LGBTQ+ artists performing at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. He will take to the stage alongside Ireland’s non-binary performer Bambie Thug and Belgium’s Drag Race judge Mustii also taking to the stage.
Gloucestershire’s Eurovision party has also been hyped up by Coleford’s Mayor Councillor Nick Penny.
Penny told the Gloucestershire publication: “Coleford Town Council are extremely proud of Olly, and all that he has achieved. When we heard that he was to be the official UK entry for Eurovision 24 with his song Dizzy, we immediately set about planning an event to help the town get behind Olly and hopefully celebrate the success of his performance.
“We want the evening to be fun, so we are encouraging residents to pick a country and arrive in fancy dress and are even on the look out for a host to keep us entertained throughout the evening.”
Olly Alexander’s mum, Vicki Thornton, is happy his hometown is supporting him
Taking over a cinema in central Coleford, Gloucestershire’s Eurovision party has had the blessing of Alexander’s mother, Vicki Thornton, who is helping to promote the event.
She shared: “I am so incredibly proud of Olly for many many reasons, his achievements have been amazing and now he gets to live out his childhood dream of representing the UK at Eurovision 24, with his fab song ‘Dizzy’!”
“It makes me really happy to know that his hometown of Coleford will be in support of him on May the 11th, I shall be there in spirit but in reality, I shall be screaming from the rooftops at the Eurovision in Malmö – come on Olly.”
We love a supportive mum!
You may have seen Vicki Thornton on Celebrity Gogglebox, but the Forest of Dean mum-of-two has been open in discussing her experience of raising a famous child.
Speaking about Alexander’s BBC documentary, Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay, community artist Thornton shared it was a challenge for her to agree to being part of the film.
“I had to be open and honest about everything which meant confronting my own feelings of guilt,” she explained.
You have to openly accept that you may have made some bad choices and decisions but you are human. It’s not about making excuses, it’s about learning from your mistakes.”
Thornton has also discussed how her divorce “made life a lot harder, definitely financially, and so life was a big struggle.” However, Thornton notes she doesn’t regret or feel guilty about ending the relationship with Alexander’s father.
Olly Alexander also bought his mother a new home, moving her from a small cottage where she was harassed by people looking for the star.
Olly Alexander in EastEnders
As well as the Eurovision stage, Olly Alexander is set to grace EastEnders‘ The Queen Vic in Albert Square.
He is set to appear in the show popping into the famous pub after Eurovision rehearsals for a pint. There he’ll reunite with his old friend, Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff).
“I’m thrilled to be making my first appearance on EastEnders and in the most iconic pub in the UK,” he shared.
“I’m so happy I got to meet some true screen legends and spend time on set with the brilliant cast and crew. I wanted to surprise my mum as it’s her favourite show, but I guess the cast is out of the bag now, she’s gonna love it.”
The Eurovision Song Contest Final 2024 takes place on 11 May beginning at 8pm, UK time. All the live shows will be available to stream on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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