Sophie Ellis Bextor will no longer be part of the Eurovision jury panel, the BBC has said (Peter Byrne/PA)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has withdrawn from the UK jury for the Eurovision Song Contest.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.
NEWS: 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.
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.”
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.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor withdraws from Eurovision jury
