Taylor Swift Reached Out To Families Of Southport Stabbing Victims Before Performing For First Time In UK Since Tragedy
08/16/2024 03:20 PM
The three young girls killed in a horrific attack in the UK were in Taylor Swift's thoughts before her return to the stage for the first time there since the tragedy.
As we previously reported, a 17-year-old allegedly hurt thirteen people in a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last month. Sadly, three of those victims — 9-year-old Alice Aguiar, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 6-year-old Bebe King — died. Just awful. They were so young. The teen suspect was arrested and charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Following the devastating murders, Taylor took to social media to express her "shock" and heartbreak over what happened. She wrote in a statement:
"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, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."
We can't imagine how hard this was for the pop star as she loves and cares for her fans so deeply. And things only got more challenging when her fans became the target of another attack shortly afterward, this time in Vienna. Three people were arrested, and all three of her concerts at the Ernst Happel Stadium were canceled after police foiled a terror attack. So scary!
Related: Taylor Once Said Her 'Biggest Fear' Was Touring After Manchester Bombing
It’s been a difficult couple of weeks for Taylor, as you can see. So when the 34-year-old singer took to the stage at WembleyStadium in London on Thursday night for the first time since these terrible incidents took place, no one knew what to expect. Would she address the killings in Southport, especially since she's in the UK again? Or would she finally speak out about the terror plot in Vienna?
Well, Tay didn't bring up either situation. However, the three young girls killed in the stabbing were "on her mind." In fact, she reached out to the families of the victims before the concert. A source told The Sun on Thursday:
"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."
Oof. Again, Taylor was probably going through it before performing at Wembley. Understandably so! Anyone would be following back-to-back situations like these! But who helped her push through? Her longtime best friend Ed Sheeran. He joined the Lover artist to perform a mashup of Everything Has Changed, End Game, and Thinking Out Loud. According to The Sun source, Ed wanted to be there for Taylor after these "tough" few weeks:
"Ed and Taylor have been friends for well over a decade and are very close. He has seen how the last few weeks have impacted her and wanted to be there to support her. It meant the world to Taylor to have him there on such a tough night."
We’re glad Taylor had someone by her side during such an emotional moment. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.
If you're experiencing emotional distress related to incidents of mass violence, you can call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990 or visit their website at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline for more resources.
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
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