‘Dodged A Massacre Situation’: Taylor Swift Sobs After Meeting Victims Of Southport Attack

Behind-the-scenes footage from Taylor Swift’s docuseries “The End of an Era” shows the pop star breaking down in tears after meeting survivors of the Southport stabbing attack.

Swift met with victims and their families following the July 2024 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop that killed three young girls. The documentary captures the aftermath of those meetings, including a moment backstage when Swift sobbed in her dressing room before composing herself to perform, according to the BBC. (RELATED: Taylor Swift’s Concerts Really Are As Powerful As An Earthquake)

“I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I know you helped them,” Swift’s mother said.

Swift appeared visible shaken by the tragedy as she prepared to take the stage for a three-and-a-half-hour performance at London’s Wembley Stadium.

She said she felt compelled to “create some form of escape” for fans in the aftermath of the attack, Swift told the BBC at the New York premiere of the six-part Disney+ documentary.

TOPSHOT – Floral tributes are left for the victims of a deadly knife attack in Southport, northwest England, on July 31, 2024. (Photo by PETER POWELL/AFP via Getty Images)

“From a mental standpoint, I do live in a reality that’s unreal a lot of the time,” Swift says in the first episode. “But I need to be able to handle all the feelings and then perk up and perform.”

The docuseries also captures the strain of Swift’s return to the stage after she cancelled three concerts in Vienna, Austria, over a terrorist threat. The shows were scrapped out of concern for fan safety.

Recalling the episode, Swift said the tour narrowly “dodged a massacre situation” after U.S. intelligence identified a plot involving a bomb, according to the BBC.

After two decades of performing, Swift noted one big change: “Being afraid that something is going to happen to your fans is new.”