Sam Ryder can’t wait to celebrate with his grandad and a curry after his dramatic second place win in Eurovision 2022 in Italy, he's admitted.
Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest, soaring to first place with 631 points in a symbolic show of public support following the country's invasion by Russia.
But 32-year-old singer-songwriter Sam Ryder gave an electrifying performance of his hit single Space Man and ended up in second place with an impressive 466 points.
And the former construction worker can’t wait to celebrate his incredible second place finish with his family back home in Essex.
Appearing on BBC Radio 2 with Zoe Ball on Monday morning, the Tik Tok sensation let fans in on his very humble celebration plans.
Zoe asked Sam: “How are your family by the way? You’ve mentioned your grandad, have you had chance to see them yet? I bet they haven’t slept. Have you all got together yet?
“They’re so stoked,” Sam laughed. “We’re having a very normal lovely curry as soon as I get home while watching the telly.”
“I just want to watch Gogglebox, and it’s going to be weird cause we’ll be on it,” he said, erupting into more laughter.
“Watching the Goggleboxers watch you! I love that, someone needs to film Sam’s family watching the Gogglebox family watching Sam,” Zoe suggested.
“It’s becoming meta!” Sam exclaimed.
Sam is the highest scoring UK entrant ever in Eurovision history and for the first time since 1998 the UK placed in the top five.
To the shock of many, Sam won the contest with his track Space Man light years ahead of the competition when it came to the judges' votes – with the UK singer topping the leader board once votes from the experts were considered.
And while he continued to sit at the top of the list as votes from the public rolled in, everything changed when the final numbers were crunched.
Ukraine's folk-meets-hip-hop band Kalush Orchestra sealed victory when the public awarded them over 400 points, taking them to the top of the leader board.
Sam helped end decades of misery for the UK, with fans lauding him as a ‘national hero’ and urging for him to receive a knighthood.
Zoe Ball probed the star on the events of the night, asking if he was nervous before his performance. She said: “Talk to us a bit out the night, how is that wait? You’ve got a long wait to song 22, you can see everyone going up and doing their bit. How was that?”
Sam told the BBC DJ: “It goes quite quickly when you’re there. The change overs are 40 seconds. The crew move so fast, it is like magic watching that stage crew work. Bang, bang, it’s in constant motion.
“It doesn’t feel like you’re waiting on tenterhooks until you go on. It happens quite quickly and I felt so much encouragement and support from home and in the Eurovision community.
“There is so much love. Sitting in that arena is like being in a church. It is just incredible. I can’t explain it and I can’t even begin to do it justice, the feeling you have when you’re there.”
Zoe asked the star: “I was watching you thinking gosh how nervous would you be going out there? But that’s the thing, you’ve trained for this and that’s the performer in you.”
“You just relinquish to trust,” Sam admitted.
While the huge public vote for Ukraine may have knocked him into second place, Sam is coming home from Turin, Italy, having won back some of the Eurovision pride.
