Ariana Grande at the Manchester benefit concert weeks after bombing
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Ariana Grande’s response to Manchester Arena bombing highlighted in ITV documentary

Some 22 fans lost their lives

Five years ago, the world was rocked by the Manchester Arena bombing.

The terrorist attack saw 22 people die and more than a thousand injured as they were leaving an Ariana Grande concert.

A documentary on the devastating event will be shown on ITV tonight.

Following the attack in 2017, singer Ariana expressed her heartbreak and tried to help in the aftermath.

Ariana Grande at the Grammy's
Ariana Grande did a lot in the aftermath of the devastating attack (Credit: SplashNews.com)

How did Ariana Grande react to the bombing?

A few hours after the bombing in May 2017, Ariana took to Twitter. “Broken. from the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don’t have words,” she wrote at the time.

A year later, during an appearance on the Big Questions with Cal Fussman podcast, her agent Scooter Braun spoke some more about how Ariana reacted to the attack. Braun revealed that the now 28-year-old was “distraught” after the attack.

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“When she found out that fans of hers had died, she was… so sad,” Braun said. “She cried for days, she felt everything – every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve.”

He continued, saying: “Every bit of emotion because that’s who she is. And the thing I will always remember is that she goes, ‘If I don’t do something, I’m not who I say I am to these people'”.

“After the first family I had to help her, she was distraught […] and I was lost,” he said. “It was beyond tough. But every single time we got down we reminded each other we get to go home.”

Ariana Grande singing at the One Love concert
Ariana organised the One Love concert after the attack (Credit: BBC / YouTube)

Ariana Grande One Love concert

Two weeks after the bombing, Ariana and her team, including Braun, organised the One Love Manchester benefit concert.

The concert was hosted at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. Over 55,000 people were in attendance.

The likes of Liam Gallagher, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Take That, and Robbie Williams all performed as part of the event.

All proceeds from the concert went to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which was set up by the British Red Cross after the bombing. The funds went to help the victims and their families.

The British Red Cross reported that they received over £10 million in donations in the 12 hours after the concert. It raised over £18 million in total.

Ariana Grande spotted out in public wearing sweatshirt
Ariana has always kept Manchester close to her heart (Credit: SplashNews.com)

Tributes after the attack

Ariana has never forgotten the attacks and has paid tribute to those who died regularly since.

On the one-year anniversary of the attack, Ariana said “The spirit of the people of Manchester, the families affected by this horrendous tragedy, and my fans around the world have permanently impacted all of us for the rest of our lives.”

“Their love, strength, and unity showed me, my team, my dancers, band, and entire crew not to be defeated,” she continued.

“To continue during the scariest and saddest of times. To not let hate win. But instead, love as loudly as possible, and to appreciate every moment.”

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Last year, on the fourth anniversary of the attack, Ariana once more paid tribute. Taking to her Instagram story, she wrote: “Although grief is ever-present and our relationship to it is constantly evolving and expressing itself in different ways every day, year round…. I know that this anniversary will never be an easy one.

“Please know that I am thinking of you today. Manchester, my heart is with you today and always.”

She also included the names of all 22 victims of the attack in her story too.

Worlds Collide: The Manchester Bombing airs tonight (Monday, April 11) at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.

Ariana Grande - One Last Time (One Love Manchester)

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Robert Emlyn Slater
Senior Writer