13 May 2023 , 23:04
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The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is over, as Sweden's Loreen was crowned the winner during the final on Saturday night - becoming the first woman to win the contest twice.
Alongside the UK's entry Mae Muller, 26 acts in total performed on stage in Liverpool - hosting the contest on behalf of Ukraine - in a bid to win the contest.
Ultimately only one act could go all the way and be crowned the champion, despite some tough competition.
It came down to the public vote with Sweden leading by a mile.after the initial vote,
Sure enough, each public vote changed the board entirely until just three countries remained with a chance of winning.
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Finland's entry Käärijä suddenly flew to the top of the leaderboard after their votes from the public, and it looked as though they could steal the crown.
Israel's entry Noa Kirel also did very well with her track Unicorn proving popular, but sadly she could not beat Finland.
Finally, it came down to the last act to learn their scores, Loreen. As hosts Hannah Waddingham and Graham Norton prepared to share her score, she was visibly nervous while Finland's Käärijä was also hopeful he would storm to victory.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is over, as Sweden's Loreen was crowned the winnerBut Graham and Hannah then confirmed Loreen had been given 243 points, taking her total to a huge 583 points, compared to Käärijä's score of 526.
As the news came in, Loreen sobbed as she made her way back to the main stage where she was greeted with the trophy.
Asked about her second win, she tearfully confessed: "This is overwhelming, I'm so happy and so thankful. Thank you for this, this is for you."
She was handed the trophy by last year's winners Kalush Orchestra who stormed to victory for Ukraine with their track Stefania.
The show was also treated to a surprise appearance by the Princess of Wales, with Kate playing the piano in the opening credits.
Do you think it was right that Sweden won Eurovision? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
Ukraine won Eurovision last year, meaning the nation faced the prospect of hosting the show in 2023, according to the rules of the competition.
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However, due to the Russian invasion, it wasn't possible, as Eurovision organisers quickly ruled out staging it in the war-torn country.
The BBC agreed to host the competition in the UK instead in 2023 after Sam Ryder finished in second place – and Liverpool was picked as the host city to hold the star-studded event.
Meanwhile, the UK's entry Mae Muller performed last this year, with many left complaining over the placement as a 'fix' as it's said to be the trickiest spot to perform in.
The UK performed last this year (PA)Before Mae took to the stage, Eurovision fans feared what the placement would mean for her after past ceremonies.
During her performance, the act was hit with possible microphone issues with fans complaining that they could not hear her song.
Taking to Twitter, some fans asked if anyone else had noticed the apparent sounding faults as one viewer said: " Mae’s mic didn’t seem loud enough."
Another viewer said: "mic not working nightmare!" while a third added: "did someone turn off her mic or?"
The comments kept on coming too, with another reading: "Somebody turn her mic on!"
Unfortunately for Mae, she came second last in the overall vote. The London singer songwriter, 25, captivated the audience with her hit single I Wrote A Song and but sadly ended up in second to late place with 24 points overall.
Mae had hoped to build upon Sam's success in last year's competition, but sadly finished second from bottom, as Sweden took home the honours.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.