Olly Alexander’s father was ‘delighted and terrified’ of Eurovision

Pop singer Olly Alexander’s father has said representing Great Britain at the Eurovision final in Sweden was something his son was “born to do”.

David Thornton, from Sheffield, said he was both “thrilled and terrified” ahead of Olly’s performance.

Olly, 33, will perform ‘Dizzy’ on Saturday night but according to the bookies he has just a 1% chance of winning.

“But that’s OK, it’s better than zero,” Mr Thornton said.

Mr Thornton said his son, who was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, wrote his first song at the age of seven and developed the instinctive vocal inflection from copying pop stars on TV in the early 2000s.

Olly’s first piano also came from Sheffield, he said.

“It was his great grandmother’s and it survived the Blitz after a bomb went off across the road.

“Olly was obsessed with it,” he added.

Mr Thornton said Olly taught himself how to read music at 11 and bought the Lord of the Rings score to teach himself.

He said: “When you watch him, the joy and happiness he portrays when he sings… that’s what he has to do.

“Nothing will stop him until the whole world sings his song.”

Olly described the intense Eurovision rehearsals as a “military operation” and said he was “confused and stressed” by a wardrobe malfunction in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

The former Years & Years singer also spoke about how stressful the show was.

“One thing I may have forgotten was that it’s a competition,” he said. “People are there to judge you.

“I’m used to being judged, but it’s so palpable. People scrutinize every little detail.

“It’s quite intense to experience.”

Meanwhile, Mr Thornton is planning a big marquee party on Saturday night – complete with a cardboard cutout of his son and a ‘Dizzy’ T-shirt.