Half-Ukrainian girl's honour to open Eurovision

Angelina, 11, helped open the show on Tuesday evening in Liverpool

A half-Ukrainian girl who played a key part in the first Eurovision semi-final said it felt "so good" to represent part of her heritage.

Angelina, 11, from Dudley in the West Midlands, opened the show with Josh, 10, from host city Liverpool.

The UK is staging the event on behalf of Ukraine, after organisers decided it could not be held in last year's winning country due to the ongoing war.

Angelina said she had enjoyed meeting people from Ukraine.

She added: "I feel so welcomed and they're just all so lovely and it's just like so honouring that I get to represent Ukraine.

"Even if they are in a war, they'll have that sense of hope that someone is still out there to represent them."

Angelina said she loved the crowd and they "were so wild"

Angelina said her friends would "just be so excited for me" and she was already having messages "flooding in".

"I was kind of nervous," she said.

"But like I saw that the crowd were [creating]... a real like good atmosphere and they were just really nice and everyone around us was so kind."

The West Midlands girl said she had "loved it so much"

Asked how she got involved, the Dudley girl said she was doing "a self-tape" and was asked to do one "of just an introduction" and then one of a dance video.

"I've been dancing since I was six and I also did rhythmic gymnastics since I was six, but then I stopped after three years."

Angelina said she hoped "something bigger comes", but so far this was her "biggest job" and best.

Her mother Dorra, who said Angelina's father was Ukrainian, said she was "very, very proud of her".

She added: "I was crying, because it's my baby.

"She's the last of three - my last born - and she's representing [a] big country."

On Tuesday evening Sweden's Loreen, who previously won in 2012, went through to the final, cementing her position as this year's favourite.

Angelina said she had been dancing since the age of six