Teenage victim’s mother praises star

The mother of Olivia Campbell-hardy, 15, who was among those killed in the Manchester terrorist attack, has thanked Ariana Grande for the Manchester gig, saying that her daughter would have been “smiling” at her tribute.

Pop star Grande changed her set list the day before the concert after meeting Olivia’s mother, who told the singer that her daughter would have wanted to hear her hits.

Charlotte Campbell told Good Morning Britain: “She didn’t feel it appropriate to play the big ones that everybody wanted to do dance to. We said, ‘No, you play your hits. You sing your heart out. You make everyone get up and dance and smile and sing along with you.

“We’d just like to thank her and everyone else for what they did last night.”

She said of Grande: “Thank you for singing your hits and you’re an amazing, amazing young woman and keep doing what you do best.”

The late teenager’s stepfather, Paul Hodgson, added: “That’s not just from us. It’s from everybody in Manchester.”