Drag star Courtney Act reveals 'disastrous' wardrobe malfunction moments before Australia's hopes were dashed in Eurovision semi-final
Drag star Courtney Act suffered a 'disastrous' wardrobe malfunction just moments before Australia's hopes were dashed in the Eurovision semi-finals.
Courtney, real name Shane Jenek, is taking on Eurovision hosting duties for SBS alongside Tony Armstrong.
She shared a clip to Instagram just just prior to Australian hopeful Go-Jo taking to the stage in the second semi-final in Basel, Switzerland.
Shot in her hotel room, the clip shows Courtney busily getting glammed up in a Milkshake Man costume - a nod of support to the Australian hopeful.
As she stepped into her form-fitting dress, the unthinkable soon happened with Courtney suffering a last minute wardrobe malfunction.
As she turned to 'zip up', a long string attached to the zipper, to aid in the process, snapped, leaving Courtney without a means to close her garment.
Not one to be dissuaded, Courtney quickly hopped out of the dress to do a quick repair job.
However, disaster soon struck again when the zipper broke for a second time.
Captioning the post, Courtney wrote: 'What is your favourite milkshake flavour? @heyimgojo's is Spearmint, I think mine is Banana.
'Meanwhile disaster struck when my zipper broke getting ready! Will I make it to the ball on time?
'Or just keep my back to the wall the whole night so no one notices my gapping dress? Thankfully Go-Jo came to the rescue!
While Courtney was unclear what the singer did to rescue the dress, she did admit in the comments that it was, indeed, fixed and she did make it to the event on time.
'I asked someone in the lobby to do it up for me. The zipper didn't break, just the handle bit came off. Thankfully,' she shared.
Her followers were quick to comment on the panic-inducing post, including fitness icon Michelle Bridges who empathised with the drag star.
'OMFG I felt your pain instantly!!! Zippers!!!!!' the former Biggest Loser host wrote.
Another chimed in with: 'You are truly a professional b/c I WOULD CRASH OUT,' while a third offered: 'Why did I feel my heart drop when the zip came off.'
Despite narrowly avoiding sartorial disaster, Courtney was unable to prevent Go-Jo from crashing out of the iconic singing contest on Friday (AEST).
The Western Australian-born singer was competing alongside the likes of Montenegro, Ireland, Georgia, Czechia, and Serbia.
Go-Jo, real name Marty Zambotto, bowed out after his tongue-in-cheek song Milkshake Man, written by Aussie pop star Amy Sheppard, did not win over the crowd.
Devastated fans went online to share their heartbreak over Go-Jo's shock elimination.
Just got back home from work and seen Australia's Milkshake Man has not made the Final at Eurovision. What the hell?!? We should all be ashamed! Ridiculous. Justice for Go-Jo,' one devastated fan wrote.
'I'm speechless. He gave us a wonderful show and Europe paid him dust. We are proud of you Go-Jo,' a second person added.
'Go-Jo not qualifying in #Eurovision.. RIGGED,' another sniped, as a fourth added: 'The biggest robbery that I've seen in Eurovision history. So sorry Go-Jo. I REALLY wished you qualify.'
Despite the loss, the singer sad it was an 'incredible' experience.
'Aside from the result this journey has been the most incredible thing that I've ever experienced in my whole entire life,' Go-Jo said after the performance.
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest grand final will be broadcast from 5am (AEST) on Sunday, and replayed at 7.30pm, on SBS and SBS On Demand.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Home and Away star Sarah Roberts confirms she has found love after 'unhealthy relationship' with ex-husband James Stewart
Sarah Roberts has opened up about a new romance after her high-profile split from her former Home and Away co-star James Stewart. The 40-year-old actress, who split from Stewart last year, has described her marriage to the soap star as something that 'wasn't healthy'. Sarah said she has since 'found herself' - as well as a new man. 'I've fallen in love with a man, I'm so in love,' she said during an interview on the latest episode of Stellar's Something to Talk About podcast. Sarah said she feels 'grateful' to have found her new partner because he has 'allowed me to grow in beautiful and unexpected ways'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'I finally found myself, as clichéd as that may sound,' she continued. Shortly after her split, Stewart moved on with their Home and Away co-star Ada Nicodemou. Elsewhere in the chat, Sarah discussed her anguish of having to go through her separation with her former husband in the public eye. 'Dealing with it in the spotlight, and then everything that came out in the media after, absolutely ripped my heart into a million little pieces. 'But I can't change anyone else's actions or the way people behave. What I can take responsibility for is the way that I feel. 'And I know that hurt people hurt people, but healed people can heal people – and I'm so happy with where I'm at today. I've finally found a love for myself which I didn't have. 'I have beaten myself up for a long time over the fact I stayed in something that wasn't healthy.' The dark-haired beauty also appeared in a feature story for Stellar on Sunday. The former soapie star showed off her slim legs in a pair of shorts, she paired with an oversized pink blazer. Sarah rose to fame playing the character of Willow on Home and Away from 2017 to 2021 and recently revealed she still keeps close with her former soap co-stars - and why Hollywood is her next stop. 'One of my best friends was one of my cast mates on Neighbours. That goes way back. Another one of my best friends, Emily Weir, she's from Home and Away,' Sarah told Daily Mail Australia in February. 'I've also made friends with a lot of the new cast from Home and Away because Emily is friends with them and we all hang out together. 'I just had my 40th birthday party at the end of last year and I had a party on a boat on the Sydney Harbour. It was full of a lot of the Home and Away cast. I get really close to people and really value my friendships.' She is currently reprising her role as reporter Beth Ramachandran on the Stan Original series Scrublands. Sarah went on to say a large part of the reason she is still so close with her former castmates, despite having left soap shows behind four years ago, is because of how vulnerable the stars become with each other during filming. 'You share so many deep dark secrets about yourself and you have to develop a lot of trust between each other. That lends itself to strong friendships,' she said. Sarah also did two stints on Neighbours, making her debut in 2010 and later appearing as the character Sienna in 2014. As for what's next for the TV star, Sarah said she has her sights set on the next big HBO hit in Hollywood, adding she wants something she 'can sink her teeth into'. 'My next dream it would be to book a television show where I'm in a contract for five years. I would like that to be a character I can sink my teeth into. I'm not sure I'd want to do another soap,' she said. 'I would have loved to have done something like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones. That would be a dream job for me.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Andy Lee's mega-mansion causes division as neighbours complain of constant noise and no parking while years-long construction continues on three-storey Melbourne home
Andy Lee and fiancée Rebecca Harding may be on the verge of overstaying their welcome in Hawthorn as construction continues on their three-story mega-mansion. The funnyman, 43, and his partner, 35, have spent the last 18 months restoring a 150-year-old derelict home by the Yarra River in Melbourne. With huge plans to connect a modern build to the Italianate manor, and years longer to go, Daily Mail Australia can reveal the disruptive build has divided neighbours. 'It's noisy. It's been noisy... It's frustrating because it's been going for a year and we've still got a couple more years to go,' one disgruntled person said. Though they went on to add the 'earthworks' was the noisiest portion of the build, the neighbour said nowadays it has 'actually settled down quite a bit'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The funnyman and his partner have spent the last 18 months restoring a 150-year-old derelict home by the Yarra River in Melbourne 'Any building site is noisy... It's hard with parking. The parking is difficult, but any house renovation does that,' they continued. Another neighbour agreed, saying: 'There was digging every day between seven and three. That's ceased. 'At the moment it has quieted down. We've just accepted that it's happening.' Someone else took umbrage with how frequently builders were working on the site, and wondered if Andy knew how noisy the construction was. 'I will say they start at about 7.15am and finish at 5pm and it's been six days a week... It's been continuous noise,' they said. 'Now that they've started on the build, it's a lot of hammering and the builders do like their loud music. 'And of course the parking. It's wasn't considerate to the neighbours in that it was six days, not five days. I'm not sure Andy Lee is aware of the continuous noise. 'I think there could have been more consideration to the neighbours... I didn't realise it was three stories.' The source went on to say the radio star and his partner invited all the neighbours over to the home before they began renovations in 2023. 'We had a meet with him at about Christmas before last. He did show all the drawings,' they said. 'We had champagne and canapés, but I don't think we were aware of the disruptions it would cause... It's certainly changed the street the last 18 months. 'It doesn't bother me too much, but I can understand everybody else's problems. I don't know how the people right next door to it can stand it.' Others said while construction has certainly been noisy and disruptive, they have grown used to the sound as there are often renovations happening on the street. 'We're going with it. It's been really noisy today. I don't know what they were doing. It changes all the time. We don't really have a complaint,' one person said. 'We know it's going to go on for years... We've had other builds go on in the street and they've taken years. We're used to that. I'm not going to complain. 'I can't understand why they're doing what they're doing. Why didn't they just live in the old house? Fix it up.' They added: 'The construction and the digging up of the ground, there has been big trucks... We're used to it.' Despite the constant noise and disruption to parking, other neighbours are glad someone has swooped in to fix up the old rundown home. 'It had gotten into a terrible state of disrepair before [Andy] started doing renovations. So it's actually looking better than it has looked for the last ten years,' one said. 'There were squatters there before. I think it's great that he's doing it. I wish it would be finished already. 'I think he's doing a great job. He's obviously not scrimping on costs... It's going to be better than the decrepit house that was there before. I think it's going to be beautiful.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Andy and Rebecca for comment. Andy and Rebecca have grand plans for their Italianate manor, with the planned renovation worth an estimated $5million having begun in 2023. The comedian has been hard at work on the derelict Melbourne mansion, called Ravenswood, he bought for $8.5million in 2021, in a Block-style rebuild. The couple won council approval for their development application back in June 2023. Plans for the site include adding a second building which will be connected by a tunnel to the original Italianate mansion, which was built around 1876. Other highlights planned for the 1,950 square metre holding include a home theatre, a gym, a swimming pool and a 'mega bedroom'. In a statement to the Herald Sun, Boroondara Council confirmed it had issued a notice of decision to grant a planning permit for the Yarra Grove address. One neighbour told the Sydney Morning Herald in December the construction cacophony had caused the couple to lose 'a lot of community goodwill'. 'The noise is just horrendous,' the disgruntled neighbour told the publication. 'Some residents just leave—they go away for a week at a time and come back on the weekend.' The publication also reported residents are angry over construction noise which had continued for 26 weeks. The noise was due to piling reinforced steel pillars and it was also reported dust from 'constant' rock breaking, had coated the solar panels on nearby houses.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ncuti Gatwa breaks silence after becoming the second shortest ever Doctor Who lasting just two seasons before being replaced following controversial Israel Eurovision storm and falling ratings
Ncuti Gatwa has sensationally left Doctor Who after just two series playing the iconic science fiction character. The actor's time on the long-running science fiction programme came to an end as The Reality War episode brought this season to a close on Saturday. In a statement released by the BBC Gatwa, 32, said: 'This journey has been one that I will never forget, and a role that will be part of me forever. There are no words to describe what it feels like to be cast as the Doctor, nor are there words to explain what it feels like to be accepted into this iconic role that has existed for over 60 years and is truly loved by so many across the globe.' 'I'll truly miss it, and forever be grateful to it, and everyone that has played a part in my journey as the Doctor,' he added. The announcement puts an end to speculation that Gatwa would not return as the Doctor. It also comes after Gatwa unexpectedly pulled out of delivering the UK jury votes at Eurovision for the grand final earlier this month, leaving Murder on the Dancefloor singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor to take his place. The BBC offered no explanation for this last minute change and merely blamed 'unforeseen circumstances'. A statement issued by the BBC said: 'Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend.' But speculation online suggested that the actor may have pulled out as the UK's Eurovision spokesperson in protest of Israel, represented by October 7 survivor Yuval Raphael, qualifying for the final. Gatwa has previously been vocal in his support for Palestine, sharing photographs of Free Palestine graffiti in Italy on his Instagram and posting links to fundraisers for Palestinian causes. It also comes after The Sun claimed on Thursday that Gatwa, who has been described as 'Doctor Who's wokest ever lead star', was 'exterminated' from the series after ratings took a nosedive. Doctor Who was watched by around 2.5milion last Saturday - around 2million fewer people than the numbers watching when Jodie Whittaker, the previous Time Lord, was on the show until 2022. But this is still a tiny fraction of the sort of interest it used to attract. At its peak it was watched by around 13million on a Saturday night in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The BBC last week had firmly denied that the actor had been 'axed' as Doctor Who, but refused to comment on whether he would be back for a third series. The broadcaster posted a statement following rumours that the renowned actor would not return as the Doctor, branding the speculation 'pure fiction'. 'Whilst we never comment on the future of the Doctor, any suggestion that Ncuti Gatwa has been 'axed' is pure fiction,' a spokesperson for the BBC said. Furthermore, they confirmed that a decision regarding Gatwa's third series with the beloved science fiction show would not be made until the season two finale aired. Gatwa is the first openly queer or black actor to play the role of the Doctor in the show's 62-year history and since last month, the two lead parts have been portrayed by ethnic minority actors for the first time. MailOnline has approached Gatwa's representatives for comment. Meanwhile, Billie Piper has replaced the actor as the Doctor, with the character regenerating during the finale of the show today. Piper, 42, first starred as the companion to the ninth Doctor in 2005, playing Rose Tyler alongside Christopher Eccleston's Time Lord. She will now be the second woman to take on the role as the Time Lord after Jodie Whittaker portrayed the 13th doctor. Gatwa's time on the long-running science fiction programme came to an end as The Reality War episode brought this season to a close. The two-part season finale saw the Doctor face the Rani in a battle to save the world after making the decision to safe the life of one little girl. As he bid farewell to companion Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu, he said: 'I hope you'll see me again, but not like this.' The finale also saw Whittaker, the 13th doctor, make a guest appearance as Gatwa's Doctor appeared to be travelling through alternate universes. Reacting to the news Billie Piper said: 'It's no secret how much I love this show, and I have always said I would love to return to the Whoniverse as I have some of my best memories there, so to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn't refuse.' After Doctor Who was broadcast, Billie Piper posted on Instagram 'A rose is a rose is a rose !!!' with images from her previous time on the show playing the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler.
