Eurovision icon Cheryl Baker, famed for Bucks Fizz, defended the singing competition’s increasingly saucy acts in recent years as she revealed it’s ‘part of the fun’
Eurovision icon Cheryl Baker, famed for Bucks Fizz, defended the singing competition’s increasingly saucy acts in recent years. Fans of the legendary contest have witnessed sexy milkmaids churn butter on stage, performers in backless chaps and one Finnish entrant, Windows95man, almost exposed himself while rocking a tiny nude thong last year.
Things aren’t any better this year as Malta’s entrant was forced to change the title of their song, Serving Kant, as it sounded too similar to an offensive word. Plus, Finland will be rocking latex hot pants. Former winner Cheryl, who won Eurovision in 1981 with Bucks Fizz, said the smuttiness is ‘part of the fun’.
Although she believed Finland’s performance went a bit ‘too far’, she still defended the iconic competition.
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“It is a bit smutty, but life’s a bit smutty now, isn’t it?” she said. “Everything a bit more extreme. It’s so funny to think that those rip off skirts that Bucks Fizz used was such a jaw-dropping moment and it’s nothing compared to what they rip off now.”
“It’s part of the Eurovision fun isn’t it? It’s always going to be that colourful, that extreme, that fabulous and joyous, it’s such a joyous thing, and it’s once a year, it’s fantastic,” Cheryl told The Sun.
The 71-year-old singer and TV presenter won the competition with her band Bucks Fizz back in 1981 with their catchy track Making Your Mind Up.
During their iconic performance 44 years ago, the group made show history as the boys ripped the skirts off their female bandmates, revealing cheeky mini-skirts underneath for the girls to continue the performance in.
Speaking at the WhichBingo 2025 Awards in Gibraltar, Cheryl explained: “Bucks Fizz wouldn’t have won without the skirt rip so thank goodness for that.
“You’ve got to have the skirt rip moment. Something that makes it different from the others.
“You can have the best singer and have the best song but you’ve to have that something that makes everyone think wow, I want to see that again. It might be special effects, it might be lighting, but it’s the something that makes it special.”
Meanwhile, it’s rumoured Celine Dion could be performing at tonight’s grand final. Her private jet was spotted in Switzerland so fans believed she could be hitting the stage for a knockout performance.
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Celine, who won for the Swiss in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, could take to the St Jakobshalle stage, amid her stepping back from touring due to health issues.
The It’s All Coming Back To Me hitmaker is no stranger to making surprise appearances at big cultural events – famously popping up on top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics last year.
Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2025 airs Saturday, May 17 on BBC One at 8pm.
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