Taylor Swift broke down in tears after meeting survivors and families of the victims of the Southport stabbing attack, backstage footage from her Eras tour reveals.
The star met privately with some of those affected by the attack in July 2024, which took place at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop and claimed the lives of three young girls.
Afterwards, she sobbed in her dressing room, as her mother, Andrea, tried to comfort her. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I know you helped them, she said.
Swift, who was already in her stage costume, had to pick herself up and perform for three and a half hours at London's Wembley Stadium.
Speaking to select members of the media, including the BBC, at the New York premiere of her new six-part Disney+ documentary, Swift revealed she had felt compelled to create some form of escape for her fans after the incident.
From a mental standpoint, she stated, I do live in a reality that's unreal a lot of the time, but emphasized the need to handle her feelings while being able to perform.
The emotional burden was compounded as the Wembley show marked her return to the stage after canceling three concerts in Vienna, Austria, due to a terrorist threat. Swift shared that the tour narrowly dodged a massacre situation when the CIA identified a plot to bomb the concert.
Swift has expressed that, after two decades of performing, the fear that something could happen to her fans is a new reality she must navigate.
