Rylan Clark-Neal has been forced to drop out of covering this year’s Eurovision semi-finals due to an undisclosed illness.
On Tuesday night, Rylan was due to offer commentary on the Eurovision semis with Scott Mills and Chelcee Grimes, but he’ll instead be replaced by Sara Cox.
Sara announced on her Radio 2 show on Monday: “I’m really excited, I’ve got a new little job this week. I will be co-hosting the Eurovision semi-finals on BBC Four.
“Rylan is unwell, so obvs we wish him better.”
She added that she’d be “stepping into Rylan’s sparkly tux” on both Tuesday and Thursday’s live shows.
A BBC rep told HuffPost UK: “Unfortunately Rylan is unwell so won’t be providing commentary for the upcoming Eurovision Semi Finals on BBC Four, however Eurovision superfan Sara Cox will be joining Scott Mills and Chelcee Grimes live in London bringing viewers all the action from the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam tonight & later this week.”
They added that Rylan’s illness is not Covid-related.
While Graham Norton will be in Rotterdam when he delivers his usual commentary from the live final at the weekend, the pandemic meant that the semi-final commentators had to remain in their home countries.
Rylan previously expressed his excitement for offering his commentary on the semi-finals, declaring (via Metro): “There was a big Eurovision shaped hole in my life last year, so I am super excited to see what everyone brings to the table for 2021 – it’s the best time of the year!”
James Newman will be representing the United Kingdom at Eurovision this year, with his song Embers.
The singer-songwriter was supposed to have been the UK’s entrant in 2020, but the competition was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Frontrunners at Eurovision this year include France’s dramatic ballad Voilà, Switzerland’s epic Tout L’Univers and Malta’s upbeat empowerment anthem, Je Me Casse.