Viv Hardwick talks to Liz McClarnon about entering a song for Eurovision.

DESPITE having sold 8m records with Atomic Kitten, original member Liz McClarnon admits she fears BBC1's Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up phone vote on Saturday.

"I hate that bit. What was so funny is that I got really excited about being in it and then thought to myself 'oh my God, I'm actually putting myself in for a competition I can't believe I'm doing this'," she says.

At stake is the chance to represent the UK at Eurovision's glittering final in Helsinki on May 12 when, traditionally, nobody votes for us anyway. But failing to clear the first hurdle as the UK's choice is proving to be a nerve-racking business, especially after Morrissey changed his mind about entering this year.

"I'll need a large bottle of wine I suppose," McClernon jokes about performing live in front of millions of TV voters.

"I'm a novice at competitions and I'm **** at things like that... and I'm a bad loser. I'm a bit of a whinger," she says.

So will the singer, who took Barbra Streisand cover Woman In Love to No 5 in the charts last year, still be able to give Justin Hawkins a hug if he beats her song Happy! as predicted?

"Justin who?" she teases.

She's genuinely puzzled about one major bookmaker quoting former Darkness singer Justin Hawkins as runaway favourite with ex-East 17 singer Brian Harvey as closest rival.

"Oh really, so I'm nowhere near? That's weird because two days ago I was 3/2 in the betting, so I don't know what's that about," she says.

"I'm not bothered about being favourite or not I'm just going to go out there and have a good time, because I love performing anyway, and hopefully get through.

"I'm really excited about it. I love the show and I'm a huge fan and been obsessed with Eurovision since I was a little kid."

But there is a serious side to McClarnon's entry because her co-written song Happy! is taken from an, as yet, nameless album due to be released in May, which clearly indicates she views Eurovision as a perfect opportunity for her solo career to lift off again.

So how deadly serious is she about attempting to win Euro pop's biggest prize?

"I don't do anything by half measures. We didn't write the song for Eurovision but it was going to be released in May anyway and we were really, really excited about putting it into Eurovision."

She reveals that is wasn't the song's title which made it the obvious choice as her contest entry and explains: "It's just that the song is so bloody catchy and we went mad over it and knew it had to be that song."

Last year's Eurovision winners, the heavily face-painted rockers Lordi from Finland, was one of the most bizarre entries so far. McClarnon is unfazed by the such hype and says: "I've seen them perform when I did a gig in Red Square and they were absolutely phenomenal."

Up to now the most controversial thing that McClarnon's done is take part in Celebrity Love Island on ITV1. But even here she had a plan: "In all honesty, the only reason I did Love Island was getting paid to go to Fiji. It wasn't a case of 'let me find love' or to be on a reality TV show it was honestly 'how much? Yeah great'."

Love is a tricky subject as it turns out. According to a website claiming to be her official representation on the internet, she still has a soft spot for Lee Ryan, the ex-Blue singer. Not any longer. She says: "I'm in a relationship with a guy called Lee (Trundle, the Swansea City star striker) and I think this story happened because I've had no links with that website for years. I'm a huge Everton fan but I've got to support Swansea now."

McClarnon has been part of Atomic Kitten since a threesome called Honeyhead formed in 1997. In 1999, Heidi Range left to later join Sugababes and was replaced by Natasha Hamilton and Jenny Frost famously took over from Kerry Katona in 2001. Although the current line-up took a break from performing together in 2004, McClarnon says they still discuss projects and her bandmates wish her well on Saturday.

"Jenny's having a London Eurovision party and 'Tash is having a Liverpool version. We still pick and chose nice things to do and still maintain our commitments to charities," she says.

With the odds on the UK scoring 'nul point' in May running at a mere 16/1, McClarnon might just view an album without a Eurovision success on it as a bit of a blessing.

* Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up, BBC1, Saturday, 7.30pm and 9.30pm.

l Liz McClarnon's song (Don't It Make You) Happy! is facing competition from Big Brovaz's Big Bro Thang, Cyndi's I'll Leave My Heart, Brian Harvey's I Can, Hawkins & Brown's They Don't Make Em Like They Used To and Scooch's Flying The Flag (For You