Graham Norton had none of his usual sass to share as he admitted he was in tears after 'You'll Never Walk Alone' was performed at Eurovision.
It's been a long night for Norton, who has had joint duties at the 2023 Eurovision live final acting as both a host of the show and as a narrator for viewers in Britain.
Norton has been joined at the event by British singer Alesha Dixon, actor Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, and after a series of segments discussing each act, the four hosts walked out on stage during the 'Eurovision All Stars' section of the evening.
Advert
Their appearance came as former Eurovision winner Duncan Laurence performed the recognisable track 'You'll Never Walk Alone', originally sung by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
The track is one which is frequently heard at football matches and shows of support in Liverpool, and it was used tonight to demonstrate the UK's support of Ukraine, which won the event last year but cannot host due to the ongoing war.
Laurence's performance was cut with clips filmed at the Golden Gate in Kyiv, where Ukrainian supporters waved their flags in support of their country.
The four hosts and the Eurovision all stars joined Laurence in performing the track, leading to an emotional moment on stage.
Advert
As the song came to an end, Norton admitted he had 'tears in [his] eyes'.
And the presenter was far from the only one who got emotional at the display, with footage from the venue showing attendees also in tears while viewers at home took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the performance.
"This was just stunning and so emotional," one fan wrote, while another commented: "Literally balling my eyes out at Eurovision performing “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, knowing this is being held in the UK because of the war in Ukraine."
Advert
The show of support comes in spite of Eurovision organisers' efforts to keep politics out of tonight's event, with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, prevented from speaking during the show.
The decision to block Zelenskyy came from the European Broadcasting Union, a group of national public broadcasters which run Eurovision.
An EBU spokesman told The Times of London: "The Eurovision Song Contest is an international entertainment show and governed by strict rules and principles which have been established since its creation. As part of these, one of the cornerstones of the contest is the non-political nature of the event,"
"This principle prohibits the possibility of making political or similar statements as part of the contest. The request by Mr Zelensky to address the audience at the Eurovision Song Contest, whilst made with laudable intentions, regrettably cannot be granted as it would be against the rules of the event." they added.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Graham Norton, Eurovision