Graham Norton has surgery ahead of Eurovision
Graham Norton has revealed he had shoulder surgery two weeks before he was due to commentate on the Eurovision Song Contest.
The veteran presenter, 62, admitted he was on a range of medication after receiving a 'brand new' shoulder just a fortnight before hosting BBC One's coverage of the competition.
Speaking on Scott Mills' Radio Two Breakfast Show, Norton said he was taking 'many, many medications' for the pain and that it's not his fault if he said 'anything bad' during the show.
Norton has been commentating on Eurovision since 2009 after taking over the role from Terry Wogan. He has since become famed for his tongue-in-cheek humour and cutting comments.
One included him talking about Romania's entry: 'Here's Cezar, proving that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.'
Norton said that was his left shoulder's first appearance on the radio. He said: 'Brand new shoulder. It's less than two weeks old. Look at the scar, it's new.
'It feels a bit new. It's a little owie. Forgive me, I'm on many pain medications right now so if I say anything bad, it's not my fault.'
Norton was joined on the show by Conchita Wurst, the Eurovision winner who triumphed in 2014 with his song Rise Like a Phoenix.
The singer confirmed it was also a radio debut for his new face.
Wurst said: 'My face lift, first time on radio. I got the Lindsay Lohan treatment.'
He also said that although he carried his Eurovision trophy everywhere for the first year, he had not brought it with him on the trip.
As part of the lead-up to the event, the UK's entry, What the Hell Just Happened? by all-female group Remember Monday, was played by the Band of the Irish Guards outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday.
The Royal Family wished the band luck by sharing the video on X, along with the message: 'THIS just happened.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Date set for return of cinema to Nottingham Cornerhouse
The Cornerhouse in Nottingham will see the return of cinema screenings after a new operator took over its January Cineworld said it would leave the 14-screen Burton Street cinema as part of a UK-wide restructure of the business, in a decision the Cornerhouse said was "unfortunate".Cinema chain Vue confirmed it was taking over following a temporary closure and new-look cinema, which includes VIP seating and new projection technology, will open its doors to movie buffs from 27 June. Narinder Shergill, Vue UK & Ireland general manager, said: "We're so pleased that we've been able to keep providing visitors to The Cornerhouse, with somewhere to see the latest blockbusters, event cinema and classic favourites, and we look forward to opening our doors."
BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
Former Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner dies after crash
Former Race Across the World contestant Sam Gardiner has died after a 24-year-old had been driving on the A34 near Manchester on Monday night when his car left the road and rolled before landing on its side, Greater Manchester Police was the only person in the vehicle and was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries on Thursday, his family said in a recent landscape gardener appeared with his mother Jo as they travelled across South America in the second series of the BBC show, which aired in 2020. They were unable to compete in the final leg after running out of money, but Sam described it as a "life-changing" experience. While filming for the BBC series, Sam said: "Mum and I are very close - we often think or say the same things."She has travelled a lot in her life, so I think it would be fun to do it with her."In a statement, issued by a family member, Sam's parents Jo and Andrew said they were "devastated". "Sam left us far too soon, and while words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special," they parents said he was "adored by his family" and described him as "loyal, funny and fiercely protective".They added the Race Across the World experience "opened Sam's eyes to the wonder of adventure". Sam's uncle Jonny Dunlop, told the BBC: "What you saw was what you got. Sam loved gardening, animals and doing physical activity."Mr Dunlop said his sister Jo and Sam had a "special relationship" and were an "enormous hit on the show", adding: "The public really loved them."In a statement, a Race Across the World spokesperson, said: "Everyone who worked with him and indeed everyone who watched Sam could see just how precious and transformative the trip was for both him and his mum, Jo."Sam embraced the seven-week trip with an energy, love and a determination that saw the pair enjoy adventures across Mexico to Argentina making audiences fall in love with them and their special bond as a result. "Since filming, both Sam and Jo have been an integral part of the Race Across the World cast family and on behalf of us all from the BBC, production and the rest of the cast, we would like to extend our deepest condolences to his parents, Andrew and Jo; his brothers, William and Charlie; his step mum Justine; his family and friends, " they family have asked for privacy to grieve for his had been recently working on the west coast of Scotland and travelled down to Stockport in Greater Manchester to attend a family birthday celebration earlier this week, according to his uncle. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Sun
Three reasons why Liam Delap will be a huge upgrade on Nicolas Jackson as Chelsea close in on £30m transfer
CHELSEA are closing in on a £30m move for Ipswich's highly-rated striker Liam Delap. Delap joined Ipswich from Manchester City last summer for just £20million. 7 7 And he is now available for just £30m after the Tractor Boys went down thanks to a relegation clause. SunSport revealed exclusively that the Blues were growing increasingly confident they could beat Man United to the £30million forward. Delap, 22, scored 12 goals despite getting relegated - compared to 10 by Chelsea's current main striker Nicolas Jackson. SunSport's tactics expert Lee Evans has looked at what makes Delap so good and what he would bring to Chelsea MOVEMENT OFF THE LAST LINE Delap took plenty of people by surprise this season at Ipswich. He spent the previous campaign on loan with Hull in the Championship and his form did not suggest that he would take the Premier League by storm like he did. One of the biggest surprises has been Delap's clever. The young striker has shown an unexpected ability to play on the last line but still create space for himself. When Ipswich are attacking, we often see Delap covered by two or three defenders. But he routinely makes clever runs that give him the advantage over the opposition. His movement is very intelligent but it's the timing of these runs that really makes an impact and allows Delap to create space for himself. 7 In the above example, we see a clever movement from Delap where he first creates the attack before timing his arrival into space to finish comfortably. He picks up the ball and drives forward before releasing it wide. The forward then moves into the space to pick up the cross and finish first time. This contrasts to Jackson, who often mistimes his runs and is regularly caught offside The Blues saw their form dip dramatically across the second half of the season and with that Cole Palmer suffered. To get the best out of Palmer, Chelsea need to add a striker with the movement profile of Delap. The former Man City star can attempt clever runs to make the most of the quality passes we usually see from Palmer. 7 Chelsea will be taking a player with the presence, athleticism and intelligent movement to really help them break down teams that sit in a deeper defensive block. Delap would naturally push defensive lines back and provide space for Palmer to occupy in behind, but he is also capable of receiving and linking the play around him. Chelsea need to add a modern profile of striker for next season and Delap should be high on their list. Chelsea raids on Man City stars CHELSEA have become adept at nicking some of the talent factory from rivals Man City - and it doesn't look like stopping any time soon. Liam Delap would become the EIGHTH high profile name to move to Stamford Bridge from The Etihad, sometimes via a couple of other clubs in between. Enzo Maresca Chelsea's current head coach was once part of Pep Guardiola's backroom staff at City — and is such of devotee of his former boss he's known as Diet Pep. Maresca, 45, - who also spent a season as Leicester manager - worked as manager of City's Under-23 team. Joe Shields Chelsea's Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent, who was poached from Southampton, where he spent just two months after leaving Man City in 2022. Glenn van der Kraan Van der Kraan was at City before joining as Chelsea's academy technical director last October. He was head of coaching at City's academy Cole Palmer The 23-year-old England star made the switch from Man City to Chelsea in 2023 for £40million, potentially rising to £42.5m. Palmer, pictured here with Lavia at Man City in 2021, has become the star man at Chelsea with 37 goals in 68 games for the club. Romeo Lavia The Belgium international midfielder, 21, joined Chelsea from Southampton for £53m in 2023. Before that he spent two years at Man City, making one appearance for the first team. Jadon Sancho Sancho, 25, spent two years at Man City where he was rated very highly. But they sold the young winger to Dortmund for £8m in 2017, and he then joined Man Utd for £73m in 2021. Chelsea have yet to decide whether to make last season's loan move permanent. Tosin Adarabioyo The 6ft5in centre back was at Man City's academy for four seasons, and made his debut for the first team aged 19. Now 27, he spent four years at Fulham before moving to Chelsea on a free transfer last summer. INTELLIGENT MOVEMENT IN THE AREA Modern strikers who thrive on running and attacking space behind the defensive line often struggle with their movement in tighter spaces, including the penalty area. This is not the case with Delap. One of the most interesting aspects of his development with Ipswich this season has been with his movement to create his own space within the opposition penalty area. He has developed into an instinctive striker with excellent timing when looking to attack balls in the area. Delap has the traditional size and shape of a target man is strong when attacking crosses. Jackson, in contrast, lacks the physical presence to be an aerial threat. And his movement in the box means he is often too late or too early to meet a cross. Delap's movement, anticipation and the timing of his first move however makes him really effective in the area. He makes strong runs across the defender to attack space and has a tendency to arrive at the right time for the cross. 7 In the above example, Delap is initially isolated as the only Ipswich player in the Aston Villa penalty area. As the ball is worked wide the man in possession shifts the ball and drives across a good low cross. As soon as the wide player started to shift his feet, Delap read the intention with a clever run across the face of the defender to finish past the goalkeeper. Chelsea desperately need a clinical striker who can finish. They finished fourth in the table and had a higher XG than Arsenal, but scored fewer goals than Brentford and Brighton. PACE TO STRETCH THE PITCH One of the stand-out things about Delap this year has been his strength when attacking space behind defensive lines. For the most part, Ipswich have faced teams with more possession of the ball and as such the opposition have pushed their defence higher. This has, in turn, meant that Ipswich have generally had space to counter attack with more direct passes, releasing Delap into space. In the modern game, more and more teams are looking for tall and powerful strikers who have the pace and ability to run behind and force the opposition to defend in space. 7 That fits the profile of Delap nicely. He can stretch the space and really cause danger for his team when they are trying to attack quickly from deeper areas. Delap has the ability to peel off the defender to create space for himself before then making quick runs to attack the space. His team-mates know they can quickly hit forward passes to release him into space. CONCLUSION Football is in Delap's blood. His dad Rory played for Stoke City, and Delap Jr appeared on the set of Soccer AM in 2014 alongside his father. The former Stoke City and Ireland midfielder is best remembered for his insanely long throw-ins. Delap Jr could be the player to help things click for Chelsea and take them to the next level. If he can get the absolute best out of Palmer, and vice versa, then surely the Blues will return to their absolute best. 7
