Actor Hannah Waddingham reacts as she attends the premiere of season four of the Apple TV series “Ted Lasso” at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California, US, July 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/David Swanson

Emmy Award-winning English actress and “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham praised Israeli singer Noa Kirel during a recent interview when asked about hosting the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Waddingham, 52, co-hosted the 2023 competition in Liverpool, England, in which Kirel, 25, represented Israel and finished in third place with her song “Unicorn.” She garnered 362 points overall — 177 from the juries and 185 from the televote – and finished the jury vote in second place overall.

During a new interview with the Israeli outlet Mako, Waddingham was asked if she remembered Kirel’s song “Unicorn.”

“Do I ever!” Waddingham replied. “She is glorious. My daughter was nine at the time. She and I were obsessed with that song.”

“If people don’t know her, they should check her out because she is a firecracker. She is a proper star, that girl,” the “Game of Thrones” star said about Kirel, before adding that she “loved hosting Eurovision.”

Kirel is now a mentor on the Israeli version of the television series “The Voice” and last year married Israeli soccer player Daniel Peretz, 26, who plays for the English soccer team Southampton. She defended Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after several countries decided to boycott the competition over Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s representative in the contest, Noam Bettan, ultimately finished in second place in the competition with his original song “Michelle.”