Olly Alexander breaks down in tears over Eurovision Israel controversy

nme.com:

Olly Alexander reportedly broke down in tears during an interview when addressing the current controversies relating to Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.Alexander will represent the UK with his song ‘Dizzy’ at the grand final of the contest in Malmö, Sweden next Saturday (May 11).

However, he has been subject to strong calls to boycott the competition over Israel being allowed to compete due to its ongoing war with Gaza, in the name of showing solidarity with Palestine.In a new interview with The Times, Alexander admitted he had been struggling after the interviewer noticed that he seemed out of sorts during his performance at a Eurovision pre-party in London.“Yes, I struggled that day,” he said. “I was holed up in a room trying not to have a breakdown.

Normally, you get on stage and turn it on, but I felt really unable to do that. It was tough… I just could not get it together and then I felt ashamed of myself and embarrassed.”He reportedly began to cry when asked if the controversy had marred his Eurovision experience. “Obviously there are a lot of things I wish were different,” he said. “And this is so much bigger than me and Eurovision, it really is.He continued: “Obviously, I wish there wasn’t a war or this insane humanitarian crisis.

I wish for peace and I have found this experience, at times, extremely… I’ve just felt really sad and distressed. But I still believe it’s a good thing when people come together for entertainment.