Scots singer Craig Eddie crowned winner of The Voice UK

Scottish singer Craig Eddie says he feels like he is dreaming after he was named winner of The Voice UK 2021.

The 23-year-old, from Falkirk, defeated fellow contender Grace Holden in the final after James Okulaja and Hannah Williams were both eliminated earlier in the episode.

He told STV News that the win had yet to sink in.

He said: “I think it will be maybe a week down the line, and I’ll just be lying in my bed and I’ll have an epiphany and that’s when it will sink in.

“I still feel like I’m dreaming it.

“I never excpected the amount of support I’ve gained, even from the blind, to the battle, to the semis.

As the news was announced during the grand finale on Saturday night, he turned his back on the camera and covered his face.

He told STV News: “I think, I just never expected it, never expected it at all.

“I almost just accepted that I wasn’t getting through. I convinced myself that I was a goner.

“Then the second I got through, I was so shocked. I just put my head in my hands. I honestly couldn’t believe it.”

He said: “I still am shocked, honestly. Thank-you to everyone, thank-you to Scotland, thank-you to everyone who voted.

“Genuinely, I cannot express my appreciation.”

During the final, he impressed the judges by performing an original song called Come Waste My Time.

Eddie was mentored by singer Anne-Marie in her first series on the singing programme.

She replaced Meghan Trainor to join the coaching panel alongside Sir Tom Jones, Olly Murs and Will.i.am.

During the episode, each of the finalists performed with their mentors, with Anne-Marie and Eddie teaming up for a rendition of No Doubt’s Don’t Speak.

Anne-Marie, 29, previously said she was “determined to stop Olly getting a hat-trick” of victories with singers he has coached on the programme.

She said she is “so competitive”, adding: “So that’s obviously my goal of my whole entire life right now and I’m going to be dreaming about it and not being able to sleep at the same time.”

Last year, Murs triumphed as his contestant Blessing Chitapa won the show.

Chitapa returned to the stage during the final to perform her new single I Smile.