Donal Skehan has responded to criticism from Samantha Mumba about the Eurosong judging panel, saying he stands by his role and the feedback he gave on the night.
In a statement on Instagram, Skehan acknowledged the effort all the artists put into their performances and said he had "nothing but admiration" for the courage it takes to compete.
"I understand that Samantha's response is personal and comes from a place of deep emotion, something that is entirely understandable in such a high-stakes competition," he said.
However, he added: "Tearing others down is never a good look, especially when everyone involved has worked to make the process as fair and constructive as possible."
Mumba had earlier criticised the panel following The Late Late Show Eurosong Special on Friday night, where she placed second with her track My Way. The competition was won by Norwegian singer EMMY with Laika Party, which will now represent Ireland at Eurovision in May.
Skehan rejected Mumba’s claim that the panel lacked the necessary credentials, describing the remark as "completely unprofessional."
"Each of us was chosen for our experience, insights and passion for Eurovision," he said. "Everyone on that panel took their role seriously and approached the night with thoughtfulness, integrity and respect for the artists."
He also addressed criticism of his own qualifications, saying: "It might be easy to write me off as 'just a TV chef’ but my career began in music. I’ve had two number-one singles in Ireland with my band, Industry, supported acts like JLS and The Pussycat Dolls, and competed in Eurosong in 2008."
"My comments were never personal," he continued. "They were about what would give Ireland the best chance of success on the Eurovision stage."
Watch: Samantha Mumba performs My Way on The Late Late Show Eurosong special
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Posting on Instagram at the weekend, Mumba thanked her supporters and expressed pride in her performance.
Mumba wrote: "Those that got it, GOT IT... and those that didn't, that's OK too. It's my art, and I stand by it."
She also commented on the panel, saying: "Special mention to the "panel" (aside from Bambie, who I stan) who not only didn't have the credentials, experience, or professionalism required and were unnecessarily rude and vile to all the finalists...
Mumba added: "(Would have said this in person but they all left the green room before I had the opportunity to) unsurprisingly."
The panel for this year's Eurosong featured choreographer and Dancing with the Stars judge Arthur Gourounlian, 2FM broadcaster Laura Fox, chef and TV presenter Donal Skehan and Bambie Thug, who represented Ireland at last year's Eurovision Song Contest.
Watch: Eurosong - Check out what the panel had to say about Samantha Mumba's song My Way
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
"Their role is to give their honest reaction to the performances on the night, offering their thoughts on the likely success of the song and act at the Eurovision Song Contest.
"Our panel did this in a thoughtful and considered way. It seems this was in line with the public vote that ultimately made the decision on the artist and song they wished to represent Ireland at this year's contest.
"It's never easy to offer a personal opinion, as not everyone will agree. Our panel did that with the utmost care and we wish to extend our thanks to them for the excellent job they did on Friday night."
Watch: Norwegian singer EMMY perform Laika Party which is Ireland's entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest
We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
During the broadcast, the panel provided feedback on all competing entries. Speaking about My Way, Gourounlian said: "It felt like ten different demos put together in one song.... The vocals were there, but I couldn't relate at all."
Fox said: "Samantha Mumba is an icon in her own right... I just think My Way might be a little too slow."
Skehan suggested that "if she goes to Eurovision, there is an opportunity for a revamp," while Bambie Thug said a revamp "could actually boost it".
After being selected to represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland this May with her song Laika Party, EMMY said she was "in shock".
Reacting to her win, the 24-year-old said: "I'm just in shock, thank you so, so much. This can't be happening!"
In her Instagram post, Mumba also congratulated EMMY, writing: "The very best of luck to the sweetest @emmykgk00 (EMMY). Please fly the flag and make us proud in Switzerland!"
.svg)