Sophie Ellis-Bextor withdraws from Eurovision jury

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has withdrawn from the UK jury for the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Murder On The Dancefloor singer had been announced as chairwomen of the five-strong panel.

In a tweet the BBC said she had stepped down due to “unforeseen circumstances” and a replacement would be chosen shortly.

It said: “Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, Sophie Ellis-Bextor will no longer be able to be part of the UK Eurovision jury and will be replaced in due course.”

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Jury members, who are all music industry professionals, are asked to judge vocal capacity, performance, composition of the song and overall impression.

The national juries will vote in one semi-final and the final, counting towards 50% of the overall vote.

The other four members on the panel are Kylie Minogue’s musical director Pete Watson, radio DJ Adele Roberts, vocal coach Jai Ramage and singer AJ Bentley.