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Daily Record
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Brits music icon says she'd love to do Strictly but gets 'rejected every year by producers'
The singer, who rose to fame in the early 80s on the Eurovision Song Contest, revealed that BBC bosses have rejected her proposal to star on the show multiple times. UK Eurovision icon Cheryl Baker has revealed that she would love to participate in Strictly Come Dancing but she gets turned down by the producers every year. The 71-year-old singer, who was born Rita Maria Stroud, won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the UK's pop group entry, Bucks Fizz, which she was a member of. However, it seems that the pop group's memorable win still isn't enough to get Cheryl Baker onto that Strictly Come Dancing ballroom floor. Cheryl still performs in the band alongside OG member Jay Aston and newcomers Nikk Mager and Matthew Pateman, but the group are now known as The Fizz instead. Speaking exclusively to Slingo, the singer revealed she's been repeatedly turned down for the BBC One reality series, despite regularly throwing her name into the ring. She also revealed that she had put herself forward for this year's Celebrity Traitors but was left 'gutted' to discover she was too late and the star studded cast had already been selected. While Cheryl has made her eagerness to dip her toes into reality TV pretty clear, also saying she'd 'love' a go on I'm A Celebrity, she has ruled out a return to Eurovision, despite insisting the group are now 'vocally stronger'. Formerly known as Bucks Fizz, the band were victorious in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest Final with their song Making Your Mind Up. Their big win over 44 years ago comes as the second last time the UK have won the annual singing contest since. Britain have not been successful in Eurovision in the contest since 1997, when Katrina & The Waves came out on top with their song Love Shine A Light. During a conversation with Slingo, Cheryl was asked about her reality TV ambitions. She said: 'I'd love to do Strictly. I always put myself up for it every year, and they always say no, which is a great shame. I love dancing - I'm not a trained dancer, but I love dancing. "I would love to go do I'm A Celebrity - I would love that. I would also love to do Traitors. When I knew there was going to be a celebrity one, I contacted my agent and said, 'Get me on it!' "When she told me that they'd already cast it, I was gutted. I can't wait to see it, but I'd do any of them." Cheryl continued: "That's the way TV has gone. If you don't want to be on any of those shows, it really limits you to what you can do, because that's what's on TV now. "I miss Top of the Pops - I wish they'd bring it back. All the young artists now, they've got a televisual platform to show how good they are.' However, when questioned on a Eurovision return, she was not so keen. When asked if she'd ever go back on the contest, she said: " I mean, we've got our two new guys, they're great singers and if the cameras are far enough away… I'd hate for them to do camera close ups of Jay and I, and go, they're getting on a bit! "I feel vocally we're stronger now than we have been for years, because there's four of us and the boys are tremendous but I don't think we could do Eurovision again. 'We've carried on and had lots of gigs, working with Mike and Jay and now with Matthew [Pateman] and Nikk [Majer] as four. There are certain gigs that haven't employed us because we're not officially Bucks Fizz but we're really good!" Cheryl, 71, added: "We haven't done a Let's Rock for years, we used to do it as The Original Bucks Fizz, but because we're called The Fizz now, I'm guessing that's probably the reason we don't get to do it. "We do lots of other festivals and 80s weekends. It's great fun, I love it. They all chant and at the end we get them to sing 'A Land Of Make Believe' and they all sing it on their own, all the musicians cut out. I love it, what's not to love? It's such a boost to your ego!'
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
‘I'm a Eurovision winner and this is the main reason no one votes for the UK'
'I'm a Eurovision winner and this is the main reason no one votes for the UK' Bucks Fizz are one of the very rare UK winner of the Eurovision Song Contest and one member has revealed why she thinks the country have performed so poorly over the years. Cheryl Baker was a member of the band Bucks Fizz who won Eurovision in 1981. Eurovision and the United Kingdom have a love hate relationship - in the in the 69 years of the singing competition the UK have only won five times. The last time we won the contest was in 1997, which is 28 years ago and before I was born! Since then we have performed quite poorly, the one exception being Sam Ryder who came in second place with his song Spaceman in 2022. But one past Eurovision winner seems to think she knows what has been holding the UK back from winning in the 21st century. Speaking on behalf of the gaming site Slingo, Cheryl Baker of Bucks Fizz fame said she believes the UK struggles for votes because the nation has 'taken the mickey out of Eurovision'. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter . The band Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 with their song Making Your Mind Up. They featured primary-coloured outfits and campy skirt rips, and ever since then they have been firm Eurovision icons. She continued to say how the UK's attitudes to Eurovision annoys countries that see the competition as 'massively important'. However, as the country have been sending more serious acts, we are being taken more seriously and that is one of the main reasons why Sam Ryder 'got it right'. This year, the UK are being represented by the girl band Remember Monday with their song What the Hell Just Happened? The trio are made up of best friends Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steel, who met whilst studying in sixth form. Cheryl believes that Remember Monday are clearly going into the grand final with a similar level of respect and excitement, which bodes well for their chances of doing well in the competition. "I'm feeling quietly confident in the girls because they're great and they're really enjoying this journey. They're doing loads of promo all over Europe, which is necessary, that's what Sam did. It would be amazing if they get in the top five." She added: "I think Sam Ryder got it right and I think the girls have got it right this year, not so much last year. I think we need to put as much effort in as the other countries and we have done this year. "TV and radio are behind the girls. That's the thing, the rest of Europe knows we have, before now, almost taken the mickey out of Eurovision and they don't like it because Eurovision to them is massively important. Now it's being taken more seriously, other nations hopefully appreciate that more and we'll get more votes from them." Cheryl Baker and her Bucks Fizz band mate Jay Aston (Image: Getty Images ) The UK hosted Eurovision in 2023 on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine who were unable to host due to its invasion by Russia. The contest was held in Liverpool following Sam Ryder's success the year previous. The Bucks Fizz singer thinks hosting the competition has benefited the UK in a way. She said: "It's so much better than it was. It had its dark days, when the feeling was, 'we're just going to get nil points, what's the point of being in it?' "I think possibly since it came to Liverpool and Sam Ryder took part, it's turned back to being great, a great event we all want to be involved in. I think the attitude has changed a lot, it's overturned and gone the other way, we're all loving it and having parties. Article continues below "Even the semi-finals are on BBC One, at one point it was on BBC Four, they're taking it seriously and it's back in favour."
