When Ariana Grande took to the stage at Manchester Arena on May 22 2017, five weeks out from her 24th birthday, she could have never imagined that the night would end in the most tragic way imaginable.
After the show, 22 people were killed in a terror attack, as concertgoers left and loved ones waited in the foyer to pick them up. Within a few hours, the American popstar tweeted: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words."
She suspended the remainder of her tour and turned her attentions to organising the One Love Manchester benefit concert, to raise money for the newly created We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.
READ MORE: LIVE: Manchester Arena bombing emergency services report - key points and latest reaction
One Love Manchester was held at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on June 4, 2017, and was attended by 55,000 people and watched by 14.5 million more on BBC One. It featured performances from the likes of Justin Bieber, the Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Take That, Robbie Williams and Liam Gallagher.
It was an incredibly moving event to watch and Ariana was visibly emotional throughout, with the events that took place less than 14 days earlier clearly having a massive effect on her. According to reports, the concert helped to raise more than £17 million and, around six weeks later, the 'One Last Time' singer was made Manchester's first ever honorary citizen.
During a ceremony at Manchester town hall on July 17 2017, then council leader Sir Richard Leese said: “In those hours they showed the world the spirit of Manchester, the spirit of strength and defiance, standing together with a spirit of unity and with a determination not to be beaten of divided by this kind of evil.
“That takes me to a young American woman for whom it would have been understandable if she never wanted to see this place again. But no. Instead she, as an artist and performer, determined she would not perform again until she had returned to Manchester to perform. She brought comfort to thousands.”
Ariana said she was 'moved and honoured' by the recognition and added that her heart was 'very much still' in the city. “I don’t know what to say," she wrote in an Instagram post.
"Words don’t suffice. I’m moved and honoured. My heart is very much still there. I love you. Thank you". She then posted an emoji of the bee, the symbol of Manchester, which became an emblem of the city's strength and defiance in the wake of the atrocity.
In the years since, Ariana has often spoken out about the attack and the impact it's had on her. “Obviously [if you see it] on the news it affects you but not in the same way,” she said in an interview with Beats 1 radio station, in August 2018.
“You feel bad, you tweet it, you post a picture, you send your condolences, you say something and move on... But then Christmas comes and you’re thinking about it. It’s like... f**k... I’m so sorry.”
Fighting back the tears, she added: “It’s like people are permanently affected by this s**t and it’s just like... perspective. It changes everything, changes your life quite a bit. You want to be more present and follow happy impulses and figure it out later and stay in the moment.”
"I’m sorry. I have a lot to say that could probably help people that I do want to share, but I have a lot that I still need to process myself and will probably never be ready to talk about.
"For a long time I didn’t want to talk to anyone about anything, because I didn’t want to think about anything. I kind of just wanted to bury myself in work and not focus on the real stuff, because I couldn’t believe it was real."
In April 2019, she shared an image of a brain scan, which revealed that she is suffering with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Speaking about her symptoms of PTSD during an interview with British Vogue, she spoke of how she coped with the symptoms of PTSD following the bombing.
“It's hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But, yeah, it's a real thing,” she said.
“I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing. I feel like I shouldn't even be talking about my own experience – like I shouldn't even say anything. I don't think I'll ever know how to talk about it and not cry.”
As she headlined Manchester Pride in August 2019, Ariana told fans she was "overwhelmed" and "so nervous" as she was welcomed back to the city. "Manchester holds a very special place in my heart," she said.
She added: "I'm so happy to be with you, so thank you for having me. Sorry, I'm so nervous. I had so much more to say but I'm really very overwhelmed. So thank you."
Last Christmas, she gifted 1,000 presents to kids in Manchester who spent Christmas in hospital. It came just a year after she donated a £100 Amazon voucher to every child at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
Five-and-a-half years on from the attack, Ariana is 29-years-old. She has three more number one albums under her belt, as well as another 12 top 10 singles, and just last year she was crowned the 'world's most influential woman'. One thing that will forever remain is her strong and unique bond with Manchester, even if it was forged in the most tragic circumstances.
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