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'Ted Lasso' star Waddingham to co-host Eurovision contest

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Invision

FILE - Hannah Waddingham arrives at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, Ukrainian musician Julia Sanina and British singer Alesha Dixon will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, organizers announced Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

LONDON – “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, Ukrainian musician Julia Sanina and British singer Alesha Dixon will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, organizers announced Wednesday.

The pan-continental pop competition will take place in May in the English city of Liverpool after Britain was asked to stage the event on behalf of designated host country Ukraine.

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Thirty-seven countries will compete for Europe’s pop crown, with semifinals held May 9 and 11 before a final on May 13. All three programs will be hosted by Waddingham, Sanin and Dixon, a TV presenter and former member of girl group Mis-Teeq.

Sanina, who fronts Ukrainian alternative rock band The Hardkiss, said she was “excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity, and to help put on a show to make my country proud.”

Waddingham, an Emmy Award winner for her role as owner of a struggling soccer team owner in hit Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso,” said it was “a great honor to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, a country which has carried itself with such strength and unity.”

Ukraine won the right to host the pop extravaganza when its entry, folk-rap ensemble Kalush Orchestra, won the 2022 contest. British organizers say the event will be a celebration of Ukrainian culture and creativity, as well as Liverpool’s musical heritage.


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