If it were up to the Eurovision jury, Malta would have placed seventh in its semi-final rather than 12th, meaning Thea Garrett would have secured a spot in the final.

The Eurovision Broadcasting Union has just revealed the differences in voting between the public and the jury, showing that in Malta's semi-final, Belarus, Moldova and Russia earned a place in the top 10 thanks to televoting.

"This confirms that neighbours vote for each other not for the songs," 18-year-old Thea, who sang the song My Dream in May's contest, said when contacted.

She said the members of the jury were professional and based their decisions on the songs, which was why Russia would have placed 15th and Malta seventh.

The songs of Estonia and FYR Macedonia, which ended in 14th and 15th place respectively, would also have appeared on stage in the final night, if it were up to the juries.

Thea's trip resulted in at least one good contact, which seems to be reaping results.

Poland's representative Marcin Mrozinski, a musical theatre star in his country, will be coming to Malta next month to record a number of tracks with the young starlet.

Besides some cover versions, they will also record two original songs that will be released in Poland and Malta.

Thea and Marcin became best buddies during their Oslo experience last May, prompting speculation that they had fallen in love.

The fact that Marcin will be staying at Thea's parents' Tarxien home during his July visit will probably continue to fuel rumours, but Thea insists the two have a strictly professional relationship.

"We are not speaking to each other that much in fact. Everyone thinks it's a soap opera but it's nothing of the sort," she said.