Where are the previous UK Eurovision winners now? From living in a caravan to Strictly Come Dancing stint and shocking affair

Since its inception in 1956, the Eurovision Song Contest has become one of Europe's most recognisable music events. 

Past winners include artists who went on to achieve international stardom, including ABBA and Celine Dion.

Years and Years singer Olly Alexander, 33, is the UK's entry for 2024, and will be performing his song Dizzy at Saturday's live final and hoping to take home the crown.

The United Kingdom has only won Eurovision a total of five times, with the last victory taking place back in 1997.

MailOnline looks at the previous UK winners of the international song contest and where they are now, ahead of this year's musical showdown.

Sandie Shaw - Puppet On A String (1967)

Sandie Shaw, 77, was the first British entry to ever win Eurovision with her song Puppet On A String in 1967, earning her 47 votes. 

The Dagenham native, went on to earn thousands from her music and was one most successful British female singers of the 1960s.

She performed her song barefoot at the contest in Vienna, something that was a trademark of hers during the swinging sixties. 

The singer, whose real name is Sandra Ann Goodrich, had already won the hearts of the nation by getting a UK number one three years before being selected for the competition in 1964.

Puppet On A String also earned Sandie the impressive title of being the first ever British female singer to have three number one records - the other two being (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me (1964) and Long Live Love (1965).

After her Eurovision win, she continued making music and even appeared on a lot of British TV programmes such as Ready Steady Go! and Top Of The Pops.

It's common knowledge that Sandie didn't actually like her Eurovision entry and felt it wasn't representative of her material, despite winning her the competition.

The British singer sadly lost her fortune after her marriage in 1968, to fashion designer Jeff Banks, now 81.

He left her living in a caravan with their daughter Gracie when they divorced in 1978 after spending her money on a failing career as a designer, reported The Times.

She made a comeback in 1984, when her version of The Smiths Hand In Glove peaked inside the UK top 30. 

Sandie went on to marry Tony Bedford, a psychiatrist, in 1982 and the couple had two children together before divorcing in 1995. 

Since the 1990s, she has worked as a psychotherapist and announced her full retirement from music in 2013.

In 2018, she was honoured with an MBE at Buckingham Palace when Prince Charles asked why it had taken her so long to be awarded.

She said afterwards: 'I told him the truth. The truth is that women in music haven't tended to be honoured in the past, certainly not in the Sixties.

'He said he was glad I was here now. He was a bit stunned it had taken so long.'

Lulu - Boom Bang-a Bang (1969)

Lulu was the second British Eurovision winner, who took home the crown just two years after Sandie Shaw in 1969 with her song Boom Bang a-Bang in Madrid.

She shared the crown with Lenny Kuhr from the Netherlands, Frida Boccara from France, and Salomé from Spain, after the voting led to a four-way tie.

The Scottish singer and actress, who was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, went on to have a glittering career spanning six decades.

Her success began before the contest, with her first single hitting the UK Singles Charts in 1964.

She rose to international prominence after appearing in and singing the theme tune for the movie To Sir, With Love in 1967 - she went on to achieve another five top ten hits in the UK, including Boom Bang a-Bang.

Lulu went on to release more music, including The Man With the Golden Gun for the  James Bond film of the same name in 1974.

During the 70s and 80s Lulu appeared in several pantomimes and plays, and has since remained in the public eye through her work in radio, and occasional television appearances - she was also awarded an OBE in 2000.

She competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 and was the fifth contestant to be eliminated from the popular show.

However, she has since vowed 'never' to do another talent show like the BBC contest again, for fear of her life.

Speaking to Good Housekeeping, Lulu, said: 'I thought it was just going to be fun, and some of it was, but physically it nearly killed me.' 

'It took me a year to get my body back. I didn’t do any exercise for 12 months because I had bruised ribs.' 

The legendary musician is set to take to the stage at Glastonbury this year for one final time after announcing her retirement from touring.

The singer, 75, told fans in February she would be doing no more live gigs on the road after her current tour following a glittering 60-year career - saying she felt 'unsupported' dealing with the heavy demands of touring last year.

Her Champagne with Lulu tour wrapped at the London Palladium last month but she has a performance booked in at Worthy Farm's world famous festival in June.

She first performed at Glastonbury nine years ago in 2015 and will perform this year in the Field of Avalon. 

Brotherhood of Man - Save Your Kisses For Me (1976)

In 1976, Brotherhood of Man became the first British group to take the Eurovision crown home for the UK with their song Save Your Kisses For Me.

The hit tune became the biggest-selling Eurovision-winning song to date and earned the group some international tours.

Original members of the group included Nicky Stevens, Lee Sheriden, Martin Lee and Sandra Stevens.

Before the competition, which took place in The Hague, they initially found success with their single United We Stand, which was also the name of their debut album - it became a top 20 hit in the UK, Canada, Australia and the US.

They released some more successful singles, including Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In) and Angelo, as well as a second album called B for Brotherhood.  

However, going into the eighties, their popularity began to deplete and the hits dried up.

The group split up in the 1980s for a few years, but reunited for a TV show in 1985 and have stayed in touch ever since.

They have reunited a few times since their peak period of success and continued performing together, but officially retired from touring in 2022.

In 2021, member Nicky Stevens was appointed as a companionship team member at a care home in Dorset.

She sang a range of music for residents including 50s and 60s hits, jazz standards and songs from the war years.

She told the Care Home outlet: 'They know I can sing but some don’t know I won Eurovision. 

'I would like to say they are in total awe but they just accept you are performing and appreciate it. As long as they enjoy what I’m doing with them, that’s the main thing.'

Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up (1981)

In 1981, pop group Bucks Fizz won the competition for the UK, with their catchy song Making Your Mind Up.

Bucks Fizz were formed specially for the Eurovision Song Contest and as a result, they became one of the best-selling UK pop acts of the 80s.

The group was comprised of vocalists Mike, Bobby G, Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston - their banger catapulted to Number One in the UK charts and sold four million copies worldwide. 

After winning the contest, they went on to release more hits, including Piece Of The Action and One Of Those Nights, The Land Of Make Believe, and My Camera Never Lies.

In 1984, the band experienced a serious coach crash while touring, which caused Cheryl Baker to suffer a broken spine and sent Mike Nolan into a three-day coma due to head injuries - some of which had knock-on effects, meaning he still suffers from them today.

Following this, creative differences led to a messy legal battle over the rights to the band's name, resulting in The Fizz being formed in 2004.

Most notably, Jay Aston was the subject of headlines after her departure, as it emerged she had an affair with Andy Hill, the group's producer. He was the husband of the band's creator, Nichola Martin.

The Fizz was a spin-off from the original group and the core consists of Cheryl Baker, 70, Mike Nolan, 69, and Jay Aston, 63.

It came after Bobby G, 70, won a court case preventing his former bandmates to perform under the name The Original Bucks Fizz. 

The new group recorded their first studio album in thirty years, The F-Z Of Pop, which reached the top 30 in the UK Albums Chart.

Since its formation in 1980, Bucks Fizz has seen more than sixteen different members of the group, with people coming and going every few years. 

However, this week, it has been revealed that Mike Nolan is officially leaving The Fizz.

Joining host Michael Ball on his BBC Radio 2 show on Sunday, the Eurovision star, 69, revealed: 'I'm going to be leaving, it's for personal reasons. I have decided to go, to leave.

'I've been thinking about it for a long long, long time and I just thought: 'this is the time to do it'.

The singer added: 'We've been together for 43 years.'

During his chat he was joined by his band members Cheryl Baker, 70, and Jay Aston, 63, who after all seemed to be supportive of their pal's decision.

Meanwhile, Bobby G's official version of Bucks Fizz has been inactive since 2018 and has not released any new music. 

Cheryl Baker has also become a TV legend and she competed on Dancing on Ice in 2018, coming in fourth place.

Katrina and the Waves - Love Shine A Light (1997) 

Rock band Katrina and the Waves were the most recent UK winners of the international competition, having taken home the trophy in 1997 with their song Love Shine A Light in Dublin.

They scored an unprecedented 227 points, giving the band their biggest hit since Walking on Sunshine.

Before the competition, the band had found success with a string of hit singles in the 1980s and 1990s - however Love Shine A Light became their most popular.

The band had toured worldwide with artists such as The Beach Boys, Wham and Fleetwood Mac. 

However, things went downhill from here as the group failed to produce another hit and their lead singer Katrina Leskanich, now 64, left in 1998 after some disagreements with the band.

The former member, who is American, has since launched a solo career and released some of her own albums, as well as doing some TV and radio work.

Katrina became a TV presenter on BBC1, before presenting her own show on BBC Two for a year and a half.

The solo artist is still releasing music and putting on performances of her own, despite the band itself splitting up in 1999. She released a new single on May 3 called I Couldn't Live Without Your Love. 

This year's Eurovision Song Contest final airs on Saturday at 8pm on BBC One.