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Sonia Sharma

Loreen of Sweden makes history after winning Eurovision while UK ends second from last

Loreen of Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest - becoming the first woman to win the competition twice.

The singer, who previously triumphed in 2012, scored a total of 583 points after the public and jury votes were combined, narrowly beating Finland's Kaarija who scored 526. The win also ties her native Sweden with Ireland as the nation with the most wins, with seven apiece.

Meanwhile, there was disappointment for UK fans as Mae Muller finished second from last. She scored only 24 points despite an energetic performance of her track, I Wrote A Song. Below her on the leaderboard was only Germany's heavy metal band Lord Of The Lost with 18.

Read More: Eurovision 2023 viewers complain minutes into final as they make plea to Graham Norton

After Loreen was announced as the winner at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, she returned to the stage and was handed the trophy by last year's winners Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine. She said: "This is overwhelming. I'm so happy and I'm so thankful."

Addressing the crowd, she added: "Thank you for this, this is for you." Loreen had performed her anthemic dance-pop song Tattoo for the international voting public, singing from an illuminated enclosed space on the stage.

Loreen of Sweden celebrates after winning the Eurovision Song Contest (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Her win means she equals the record held by Irish singer Johnny Logan, who triumphed at the contest in both 1980 and 1987. The Ukrainian entry, the brooding electronic duo Tvorchi, scored a total of 243 points and was sixth in the rankings.

The UK's Mae Muller had hoped to continue the success of last year's entry Sam Ryder, who finished second behind Kalush Orchestra. Commiserations came from the BBC, who organised the contest in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union. The broadcaster's official Twitter account posted: "Mae, we're so proud of you and everything you've achieved at this year's Eurovision Song Contest."

As the show ended, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: "Liverpool, you've done the United Kingdom and Ukraine proud. What a fantastic celebration for £Eurovision2023 Congratulations @Loreen-Talhaoui. Sweden it's over to you."

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