Amanda Holden has been branded arrogant and embarrassing after her appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest Grand final.
The Britain's Got Talent judge was chosen to deliver the decision of the UK jury event on Saturday night and she made a live appearance from London. But the presenter made viewers at home cringe when she addressed the Eurovision 2021 hosts in Rotterdam by saying: "Bon soir. Goedenavond. That is 'good evening' in French and Dutch although I've got absolutely no idea which is which."
After the Grand Final, which was won by Italy, viewers were embarrassed by her remarks. You can see the full list of results here.
Former Scottish government culture secretary Fiona Hyslop, now a backbench SNP MSP, wrote on Twitter: "Nil Points for UK and Amanda Holden thinking it funny to say she doesn’t know the difference between French and Dutch #Embarrassing."
Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor and adviser to the Welsh Government, tweeted: "UK getting No Points was not half as bad as Amanda Holden telling the whole of Europe that she doesn’t know one European language from another. We looked like stereotypical ignorant arrogant Brits."
And she was not alone. Daniel Matthews wrote "Amanda Holden there, upholding every stereotype Europeans have about us."
Linguist Dr Clare Hardaker wrote on Twitter: "Instead of coming across as a charming 'aren't I daft, me' joke (which would be rather tedious anyway), lots of the UK audience cringed into their sofas in the expectation that it was perceived as a tiny vignette of insular attitudes that have shaped and driven Brexit."
Many viewers have taken to Twitter to express their anger at Amanda Holden's ill-judged comments.
In response, Amanda has said she is unconcerned about being dubbed a “national embarrassment” following her appearance, telling reporters “C’est la vie - as the Dutch might say".
