EUROVISION legend Cheryl Baker revealed she and bandmate Mike Nolan risked their lives with a daring move before winning Eurovision.
Cheryl, 70, triumphed at the world famous contest with Bucks Fizz in 1981 thanks to their smash hit Making Your Mind up.
As tensions swirl around this year’s event in Malmo, Sweden, over the inclusion of an Israeli act amid the large number of civilian casualties in the country’s war against terror organisation Hamas in Palestine, Cheryl reflected on how the Contest was politicised in her year.
At that time the Contest was held in Dublin and there was a very real threat it could be targeted by the IRA.
Participating acts were protected by armed guards but that didn’t stop fearless Cheryl and bandmate Mike Nolan from giving theirs the slip.
Speaking to The Sun on behalf of Heart Bingo, Cheryl said: “There’s always politics involved, whether you like it or not.
“It’s a music competition, but somehow politics creeps its ugly head in every time. When we did it, it was the IRA.
“They were very, very active and they threatened to disrupt the whole proceedings.
“And we had armed guards on our doors. We had outriders wherever we went, so that we went through red lights.
“It was quite exciting, really. You don’t think of the danger. So it was political then.”
Though there was a looming risk of being targeted and subjected to brutal violence, Cheryl didn’t pay much mind to the dangers.
“When you’re in your 20s, you have no fear,” she said. “You don’t think anything’s ever going to happen to you.
“And you’re in a car and you’re going through red lights and you’ve got the blue siren going, and you’re thinking, ‘wow, this is fun’. No, I wasn’t scared at all. Not in the slightest.
“In fact, Mike Nolan and I, we escaped our minder. Each of us had a minder. We escaped our minder, much to his disgust.
“I think we pretended that we needed to go to the loo or something, and we went shopping.
“And Mike was showing me, because he’s from Dublin and we won in Dublin, so he was showing me all the places and that.
“And when we got back, oh my God, they they absolutely teared us off a strip.
“Because we were risking our own lives. But we didn’t think about it at the time.
“When you’re young, you think you’re invincible, don’t you?”
REHEARSAL CONTROVERSY
In rehearsals ahead of the second semi-final on Thursday, the Israeli act Eden Golan was booed.
Later that day, she was warned to stay in her hotel room as a mass protest formed in the city.
Chery expects there to be more protests tonight during the main show.
She said: “Yes, I do think, because of the whole Israel thing, there will be protests and there will be some sort of outcry.
“But there’s not many years when it doesn’t happen. The year before last, with Ukraine and Russia, there’s always something going on in the world that someone’s going to want to protest about at Eurovision.”
When it comes to the music, Cheryl doesn’t believe the UK will win this time around, even with the involvement of a famous performer.
She slammed Olly Alexander‘s track, Dizzy, adding to the backlash around the raunchy song.
Cheryl said: “I don’t think we’ll win. I love Olly. I loved him as Years and Years. Everything about them, I think they’re great.
“When it starts, you think, it’s okay. But then it doesn’t go anywhere.
“You know, dare I say it, you need a couple of key changes. And it just makes it lift. So I know that their performance is going to be extraordinary because we’ve seen clips of it on YouTube and stuff.
“So I’m hoping that that pulls it out of the bag for him. I still don’t think it’s a winning song, unfortunately. Sorry, Olly.”
The Fizz are playing the Indigo at 02 Arena on June 28.
