Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The world Manchester..
Record TV viewers pledge £2.7m in three-hour concert Praise for Grande as she hosts ‘a magnificent night’
THEY watched in their millions – and generous Brits matched the spirit of the One Love Manchester gig by donating in their millions.
More than £2.7million was pledged in just three hours as Ariana Grande and her A-list pals paid tribute to the city and its people at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Sunday night. The total raised for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund for the victims and their families now stands at £10.2million – and the money from ticket sales, overall donations and host broadcasters is yet to be counted. And despite sharing a stage with the likes of Coldplay, Take That and Justin Bieber, the standout star on the night was undoubtedly Ariana herself. The pint-sized pop star, devastated by the carnage at her concert on May 22, has won universal praise for returning to the city to honour the 22 young people who lost their lives in the suicide bombing. New Order’s Peter Hook, whose daughter Jessica is on crutches after being hospitalised at the Arena concert, was full of praise for the singer, saying the One Love concert was a “wonderful way to show we are going to stand together”, adding of the popstar: “I think Ariana has handled herself very, very well. “As a musician the last thing you want to do is deal with something like that and she’s done a fantastic thing here.” The singer’s pal Miley Cyrus, who also performed on Sunday, said: “Ariana has proved that she’s a good role model for all the young girls out here.” Even former critic Piers Morgan, who blasted the young star for flying back to Florida straight after the bombing, retracted his criticism, posting on Twitter: “I misjudged you, Ariana Grande, and I apologise. You’re an admirable young woman & this is a magnificent night. Respect.” Ariana has released a reissue of her 2014 hit One Last Time, with proceeds going to the fund. Millions were in awe of the 23-year-old’s humility as she celebrated an evening “so light, so filled with fun, love and bright energy”. The concert drew the UK’S largest TV audience this year, and could become the highest global event too. The BBC’S coverage of the starstudded event peaked at 14.5 million. Networks across the 50 countries that screened the gig have yet to declare their figures, but worldwide ratings are expected to top 100 million. Facebook said 38 million people tuned in to its live broadcast, while Ariana’s personal Youtube channel attracted 9.2 million viewers. There were more than a million requests to watch live on the BBC’S iplayer, breaking the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics 2012. And of the 7.4 million Twitter mentions of the official hashtag #Onelovemanchester, 68% of those were from abroad. ashleigh.rainbird@mirror.co.uk