WHILE the nation bit its fingernails as the final Eurovision votes came in, our hero contestant Sam Ryder was laughing and joking around with his girlfriend.
Even being on the verge of becoming the first Brit to win the contest for a quarter of a century didn’t faze this hippy from Essex during Saturday night's memorable competition.
Numerous setbacks have not quenched the 32-year-old singer’s two-decade long ambition to make it in the music industry. And he sees coming second on Saturday night to favourites Ukraine as a springboard to chart success.
A few years ago, Sam’s dreams of stardom seemed to have ended. He had spent time working as a builder and then later running a juice bar with his girlfriend Lois Gaskin-Barber.
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