Taylor Swift has “reached out” to the families of those killed in the Southport stabbings.
London’s Wembley Stadium was packed with thousands of fans who came to see the singer as she made her way back to the UK on Thursday (August 15). After embarking on a world tour, hitting places such as Australia, North America and Asia, the singer came back to London for another five dates, with tickets completely sold out.
However, her return comes in the wake of the Southport tragedy, when three young girls were killed in a dance event centred around the star. Their deaths shocked the country and eventually led to the riots that broke out up and down the nation at the beginning of August.
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Bebe King, 6; Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9 and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, were all killed when Axel Rudakubana attacked the event in the Merseyside seaside resort. Ten others were also injured in the attack, but have since thankfully been allowed to return home.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In the wake of the tragedy, Taylor emerged on stage to perform in front of the thousands of fans who bought tickets. But she did make it clear that she had the little girls in her mind as she performed.
Though she did not explicitly mention the stabbings, a source close to the star said that the victims were in her thoughts. They added that upon hearing the news of the attack, Taylor was “shaken to the core”.
The insider said: “Taylor may not have spoken about Elsie Dot, Alice and Bebe on stage but she has reached out to their families. It is something that has weighed heavily on her mind.”
(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f)
Following the news of the stabbings, Taylor took to her social media platforms to pay tribute to the victims herself, saying: “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, the first response.
“These were just little kids at a dance class,” the 34-year-old added. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
As Taylor made her grand return to London, she stunned fans by bringing out a surprise guest – singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The pair duetted on their song Everything Has Changed, from her 2012 album Red – as well as the track End Game from her critically acclaimed album Reputation.
(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f)
Leaving fans in tears, the two songbirds played an acoustic version of Ed’s track Thinking Out Loud. But before he left the stage, Swift gushed over her duet partner, embracing him tightly and describing him to her fans as being like a “second brother”.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
