It's hard to believe it's been just five months since the Manchester Arena terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 22 young fans at Ariana Grande's concert.
A month after the tragedy, Grande returned to the city for a benefit concert to help the bombing's victims and families before continuing on her worldwide Dangerous Woman tour.
The bravery, determination and resilience the 24-year-old showed in the weeks to follow was remarkable. But despite the smiles and flawless vocals on stage, the singer's healing was far from over.
'I don't think I've been through anything as traumatic as [what] we've been through,' she explained in a recent interview with Coveteur.
Discussing the reason why she wanted to continue her tour, she said: 'Calling it off and going home was not an option.
'The message of the show was too important. For the crew and everyone involved, it's become more than just a show for us. We are really grateful to be here and really grateful for this show.'
Following the tour, which came to an end in Hong Kong last month, Grande said she's now planning on devoting some well-earned time to looking after her own well-being.
'I think what I'm probably going to do [after the tour] is check in on my health,' she revealed.
Grande's comments come months after Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic which produced the singer's benefit show, said the star was 'very traumatised after the attack'.
However, he emphasised the importance of the show for the Florida-born singer, adding that Grande wanted to 'support the victims and show a level of defiance that stands up to this bloodlust and ambivalence towards innocent individuals and tells the terrorists that they are not going to stop us'.
Grande's bravery and strength is exemplary.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
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