"She has such a warm, lovely, naughty personality" — Olly Alexander opens up about his friendship with Judi Dench

As the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 approaches, the spotlight shines on Olly Alexander's upcoming performance, candid revelations about personal connections, and his journey to fame. In an interview on Hits Radio, Alexander shared insights into his life, including an affectionate portrayal of his friendship with Judi Dench.

The British icon, known for his music and acting, spoke about his relationships and experiences, depicting his interactions with prominent figures like Dench during a special aired on Hits Radio on May 9 before Eurovision.

"Judi Dench is the most fabulous, wonderful woman, an icon of stage, screen and TV, but she has such a warm, lovely, naughty personality."

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Olly Alexander speaks about personal bonds and struggles throughout his life

Olly Alexander (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

The appreciation came as part of a broader discussion that spanned his career, personal struggles, and the peculiarities of his relationships with fellow celebrities.

Building on his initial remarks about Judi Dench, Alexander admired her spirited demeanor and personal connection, going beyond their professional worlds.

"She loves making dirty jokes in her incredible voice. I love her. She sent me a text five minutes after Eurovision got announced saying ‘I can’t wait, congratulations."

He revealed how Dench immediately reached out to him after learning of his participation in Eurovision, congratulating him and showing enthusiasm for his upcoming performance.

In the same interview, Olly Alexander opened up about his struggles and aspirations, speaking about his early ambitions and the challenges of growing up.

"I wanted to be an astronaut because I loved space—I still love space but I found out that I’m color blind and apparently you can’t go to space if you’re color blind? And you can’t fly a plane goddamnit but maybe you can now, I have no idea…But I always, always loved singing—and this is the kind of kid I was - for my Year 6 Assembly I wrote and performed my own original song—it was called Why Can’t We Be Perfect, I had a little Casio keyboard and a four track cassette tape recorder."

He further spoke about the unexpected turns in his career path that eventually led him to music and acting.

Olly Alexander (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)

Olly Alexander's journey into the entertainment industry was not straightforward. Alexander recounted how his failed audition for the TV show Skins serendipitously led him to an agent and his first acting job.

"I went to a casting for Skins, didn’t get the part, but the casting director liked me and said ‘I’ll help you get an agent if you want?’ so she basically put me in touch with an agent and the first casting I went to for them—a kids TV show called Summerhill—I got."

He discussed his distinctive approach to fame and elaborated on his coping mechanisms for public recognition.

"I will wear a hat and a mask on the tube – I get really paranoid about being in an enclosed space and someone recognising me when I’m doing something weird like eating a sandwich or drinking a coffee and I look stupid."

He further spoke about his challenging school years, where Alexander did not shy away from the emotional and social difficulties he encountered.

"I was confused a lot of the time, thinking I don’t fit in anywhere, and I didn’t know why. When I was really young, I wanted to have long hair and wear make-up and very quickly I realised that didn’t go down well with other kids, specifically the boys. They would make fun of me and call me a girl in a way that was really negative, so I was just really confused and hated going to school for that reason."

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He then detailed how he felt isolated and unable to fit in, which led him to keep his difficulties hidden from others, including his family, and this secrecy resulted in mutual feelings of guilt with his mother, who was unaware of his struggles.

Although these challenges were there, Olly Alexander said these experiences shaped his identity and spoke about the ongoing internal battle with self-criticism while acknowledging a supportive inner voice that reaffirms his achievements and self-worth.