Antigoni Buxton has revealed representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest would be a childhood “dream come true“.
The Greek Cypriot Love Island bombshell, 26, applied to represent the country in next year's competition, which will be hosted in Liverpool after Ukraine had to step down as host due to the ongoing war.
Singer-songwriter Antigoni, whose mother is presenter and restaurateur Tonia Buxton, 54, revealed she has submitted three songs and her chance at landing the opportunity is now in the hands of the decision makers.
In an exclusive chat with The Mirror on the red carpet of the National Television Awards, Antigoni revealed she feels the timing is “perfect“ after her stint on ITV2's Love Island this year.
When asked about her Eurovision application, Antigoni said: “Fingers crossed. It would be a dream come true.
“I remember being a kid and watching Greece win the Eurovision in 2005 and I’ve always been in awe of that and proud of my Greek Cypriot roots.“
Greece took home their first Eurovision crown in 2005, with My Number One, sung by Helena Paparizou.
The former Islander went on to say: “My whole music style is like a combination of UK sound and Greek sound so it just feels like it would be the most perfect thing for me to do.”
She added: “I submitted three songs that were written for the purpose of Eurovision so now it’s up to the decision-makers and we can hope for the best.”
Antigoni then gushed: “I feel like I have a massive opportunity to represent my Greek culture because it’s here [in the UK] and because of the platform I have now I feel like I could do a really, really good job. So fingers crossed it comes through!”
Those who represent their country are usually chosen using three common ways; through a televised national selection, through a full internal selection by a committee or appointed by a broadcaster while the public chooses the tune.
Antigoni made her submission to ERT – the public broadcaster in Greece organising the country's selection process.
She previously told Eurovision Fun : “I'm submitting the songs but one in particular is my favourite. It's an up-tempo powerful, fiery and romantic track with both Greek and English lyrics.“
The deadline for submissions to represent Greece closed in October and the chosen act will be announced at a later date by ERT.
Eurovision will be held in Liverpool next year, with the UK hosting on behalf of this year's winning country Ukraine. The location was confirmed by the BBC recently.
Graham Norton appeared on The One Show to reveal Liverpool had been chosen to host the iconic music competition in May 2023, after the BBC worked in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to decide where the 67th Eurovision Song Contest would take place.
After Graham revealed Liverpool had pipped Glasgow to the post to host the event next year, The One Show headed over to the northern city to see the reaction – with Scouse singer Sonia, who represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1993, excitedly telling viewers: “Scousers know how to party!“
