Jason Manford broke down in tears as he responded to the Manchester bombings during a Facebook Live video.
The comedian, who was born and raised in the Manchester area, posted a 40-minute video on the social networking site, following the terrorist attack at Manchester’s MEN Arena, after an Ariana Grande concert on Monday (22 May) night.
Jason struggled to comprehend the atrocity, which has so far killed at least 22 people and injured 59, becoming deeply emotional.
He explained that his children are fans of Ariana Grande, and he would have been likely to have taken them to the concert had he known about it beforehand.
“They want your life to change. For 20 people tonight there’s an empty bed in each of their houses... god,” Jason said.
“Unfortunately hatred is winning - it won’t win, though... but at the moment it is.”
He explained how he couldn’t understand how someone had not yet come up with a solution to terrorism, saying “someone cleverer than us” was needed in order to think of one.
“All we can do is feel empathy for those poor families. My god, I can’t even… I can’t imagine…” he said.
“I’m just heartbroken. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it. Right now, all we can do is try to stay full of love and not hate, and focus on those families and the ones who need us.
“Not think about those fucking cowards – they think they can break us, but it won’t. It never, ever will. There were moments in the 70s and 80s where we thought those bombings would never end, and although it’s different, it did end.”
Jason later shared a written post with fans, where he also sent his love to Ariana.
“My thoughts also go to Ariana Grande who must be absolutely devastated,” he wrote. “My children adore her and she must be inconsolable today.
“I hope she knows that she gave so many people an evening of joy and fun and even in those few peoples last moments their hearts would have been full with the happiness she gave them.”
The US singer said she was “broken” in a tweet posted in the early hours of Tuesday morning, adding: “From the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.”
She has since reportedly postponed the European leg of her world tour “indefinitely”.
Stars such as Katy Perry, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Gary Barlow and Nicki Minaj also paid tribute to the innocent victims on their social media accounts.