Ira Losco received a hero’s welcome from her family and friends as she returned to her hotel late last night after qualifying for the Eurovision Grand Final on Saturday.

Malta's was the very last qualifying country to be randomly announced, leading to some tense moments, but all that tension had gone by the time the singer returned from performing at the Globe Arena. 

Her loved ones, including her parents and partner, greeted Ira with cheers and a spirited rendition of “Walk on Water” in the hotel lobby, in which she appeared more than happy to take part.

“I’m extremely excited for her,” her partner Sean Gravina told the Times of Malta. “When it came down to the last one, I was sure we were out. At that point I was really down. They’ve put in a lot of work and now the fruit is coming out.”

Mr Gravina has been in the spotlight a bit more than usual due to Ira’s much-publicised pregnancy, which he said had prompted him to get more involved in the Eurovision process than he otherwise would have.

“I don’t get into her work; she has her career and I don’t interfere,” he said. “I’m here for such a long period of time because I feel I should be here supporting her, and the baby; being there for her. Otherwise I would have come up today and supported her normally as her boyfriend.”

Meanwhile, Ira’s mother Margaret Losco admitted that although she had full faith in her daughter throughout, the level of the competition had made for some nervy moments. “It was really a tough ride for us,” she said.

“Even when we went to Estonia [in 2002], she could already handle everything well, and that helped her a lot because she was a dark horse back then. Since then she’s matured, she’s tried a number of different genres of music, and that helped her a lot, because experience counts for something.”