Bella Ramsey’s Jedward fandom and the other celebrity Eurovision fans ahead of this weekend’s grand final

Jedward was not a name I was expecting to write this morning when coming into the Peopleworld offices, but given that The Last of Us actress Bella Ramsey has admitted her fandom, here I am. But in a social media post discussing her love of Eurovision, ahead of this weekend’s grand final in Liverpool, it was the Irish duo that reinforced Ramsey’s love of the all inclusive affair. 

“Eurovision is one of the greatest things to ever exist. Jedward a close second,” Ramsey revealed to her followers, which was originally posted by the BBC’s official Eurovision social media channel on Instagram. “So when Jedward performed at Eurovision TWICE I lost my tiny mind. Anyway. Enjoy this. Also I saw Jedward live on the actual day of my 10th birthday, just saying.”

Ramsey, who identifies as non-gender binary but is happy with the use of her/she nouns as previously revealed, also took a tongue-in-cheek approach to some of the harsh criticisms of the contest -  or in her words, the “ridiculous” social media comments about the contest, such as it being “overrated”, “for amateurs” and “the gay Olympics.”

Ramsey hasn’t been the only high-profile celebrity to extol their fandom of the annual song contest and given the some of the music industry’s almost “sneering” derision of the popular event, it’s been interesting to see some titans of the entertainment industry openly admitting their love of Eurovision. It almost feels like they’re coming out as fans of a very accepting, inclusive event…

Justin Timberlake:

"I'm a big fan of Eurovision," Timberlake said in a statement before performing at the 2016 contest. "It's an amazing event that brings together so many different countries and cultures. I'm honoured to be a part of it."

Justin Timberlake’s medley of songs during the competition’s intermission very much fit with the fun, energetic performances from the contestants themselves. Timberlake was also one of the first high-profile celebrities to perform during the event that wasn’t a previous contestant - and set the bar for performances going forwards, with Madonna performing a year later

Katy Perry

We wondered if it wasn’t for America’s Got Talent currently broadcasting in the United States if Katy Perry might have stayed an extra week in the UK after her performance at the King’s Coronation Concert this past Sunday. 

"I'm a big fan of Eurovision," Perry said in an interview with The Sun. "I love the cheese factor, and I love the fact that it's a celebration of music from all over Europe. It's a great platform for artists to showcase their talents, and I always have a lot of fun watching it."

Sarah Jessica Parker

Sex in the City/Just Like That actress Sarah Jessica Parker was the star of such an iconic television series that appealed to both viewers and the LGBTQIA+ community that it should come as no surprise how much she is a fan of the contest. “I think Eurovision is fantastic," Parker said in an interview with the BBC. "It's a great platform for artists to showcase their talents, and it's always so much fun to watch. And of course, there's always some really outrageous costumes and performances!"

Ed Sheeran

Given that Ed Sheeran cut his teeth playing in front of crowds at R&B and hip-hop open mic nights to garner some form of platform for his music initially, his comments about Eurovision being a supportive platform for musicians is something that remains close to his heart. 

"I always watch the Eurovision Song Contest," Sheeran said in an interview with the BBC. "I think it's a great platform for artists to showcase their talents, and it's always a lot of fun to watch."

Paris Hilton

Watch out world - could Paris Hilton be your next Eurovision song contest entrant? Given that only last year Flo Rida was a representative for San Marino, perhaps another country could include Hilton in their entry in the future?

"I've been a fan of Eurovision for years," Hilton said in an interview with The Mirror. "It's just so much fun to watch, and there's always some really great performances. I'd love to perform at Eurovision one day!" We (especially Peopleworld’s Natalie Dixon) very much hope to see that day come sooner rather than later.