Who is Eurovision 2023 presenter Julia Sanina
13.05.2023 - 19:41
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Eurovision is back, and the UK is hosting the contest on behalf of Ukraine this year.
Kalush Orchestra won last year's Eurovision with their song 'Stefania,' but the ongoing conflict in Ukraine meant runners-up UK had the honour of hosting instead. Liverpool was chosen, with the semi finals and the highly-anticipated Grand Final taking place at the M&S Bank Arena.
Graham Norton, Alesha Dixon and Hannah Waddingham will be fronting the coverage on the BBC. Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina will also be hosting all the action, as it kicks of on BBC One and iPlayer tonight (Saturday May 13) from 8pm.
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The 32-year-old is the frontwoman of alternative band The Hardkiss, who have released four studio albums. Formed in 2011, the four-piece were shortlisted for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Ukrainian Artist a year later.
They've also scored two Ukrainian national music awards, for Discovery of the Year and Best video of the year. The band attempted to represent their country years ago in Eurovision, but were knocked out of the role by Jamala.
Sanina, from Kyiv, is no stranger to TV; she previously competed in the Ukrainian version of Dancing With The Stars, where she was a finalist. She was also a judge on the Ukrainian version of the X Factor.
The star is married The Hardkiss lead guitarist, Valeriy “Val” Bebko. The pair met back in 2009, before the conception of The Hardkiss, when Val was a producer at MTV Ukraine.
The pair reportedly kept their romance a secret for five years, but married after being together only for two years. Julia and Val welcomed a son, Danylo, in November 2015.
On co-hosting Eurovision, Julia said: “I’m so excited to showcase