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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Alan Johnson

Eurovision host Mika hails Graham Norton as a 'legend' as they pose together backstage

Eurovision host Mika appeared to be delighted as he posed for a backstage photo with commentator Graham Norton on Saturday night.

The 38-year old singer was beaming from ear to ear as the pair stood with arms around each other at the Palasport Olimpico arena in Turin, Italy.

Lebanon-born star Mika took to his Twitter account to share the image with his 1.3 million followers, captioning it: "Look who I bumped into backstage! A true legend of @eurovision! So good to see you again @grahnort #eurovision."

After dressing casually in a pink t-shirt under a darker pink lightweight jacket, the Grace Kelly hitmaker changed into a white suit and matching shirt before taking to the stage with Italian co-hosts Alessandro Cattelan and Laura Pausini.

Mika and Eurovision co-host Laura Pausini (Getty Images)
Mika tweeted this backstage photo after meeting BBC host Graham Norton (Twitter - mikasounds)

BBC host Graham, 59, meanwhile, opted for a black shirt as he geared up to provide commentary to viewers in the UK.

Fans were quick to express their delight and responded to the photo of the pair with one writing: "Great show guys. I absolutely love your white suit. I want one."

Another commented: "Two legends together."

A third simply added: "My favourites."

Mika - real name Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr - has fallen off the UK radar somewhat in recent years and now spends the majority of his time in Tuscany, Italy.

Known in the music industry for his versatile voice - which has performed everything from pop to opera - multi-lingual Mika was chosen to serve as a judge and mentor on the French version of The Voice and X Factor Italia.

His work in France has been so successful that he sung at the final of the country's version of Strictly Come Dancing and performed at the top of the Eiffel Tower for its 130th anniversary celebrations.

Mika performing on stage during the Grand Final show of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest (Getty Images)

He has also been honoured with the nation's Order of Arts and Letters for services to music.

Meanwhile in Italy, where he is now a household name, he was given his own variety television show. Titled Stasera Casa Mika, or Mika's House Tonight, it won the 2017 Rose d'Or prize for Best Entertainment Series and 2018 Flaiano Prize for Best TV Programme.

Away from the entertainment world, meanwhile, the star has played an important role in charity and humanitarian causes. In 2020, the singer held a streaming concert in aid of Beirut, Lebanon, to help the population recover from a devastating explosion.

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