In video: VIP trip to met Ariana Grande ended in injury for fan
Millie Robson met the singer backstage before the concert, but was later in the foyer when the suicide bomb went off.
A 15-year-old girl who was hit with shrapnel when the Manchester Arena suicide bomb exploded has told how her dream of meeting pop star Ariana Grande descended into a nightmare.
Millie Robson, from County Durham, met the singer backstage at the concert after winning VIP tickets but suffered leg injuries as she was caught up in the attack while leaving the venue.
Millie, along with her friend Laura, had just spotted father David Robson who was meeting them outside when the bomb was detonated on Monday.
“I was in the foyer bit, I was just walking out to meet my dad because he was picking me and my friend up from the concert – and then it just went off behind me,” she told the Press Association after the royal visit.
“I just remember the explosion in my ears – it just started ringing for ages. People were screaming.”
She described how her dad rushed to her aid and worked to stop the bleeding where the impact of the shrapnel had created “holes” in her legs.
Millie, who was wearing an Ariana Grande T-shirt and clutching a souvenir from the gig, said: “My dad ran over to me and picked me up and we tied jumpers and stuff around the two main wounds on my leg.
“And he just picked me up and we ran outside. A lot of the paramedics outside and strangers were helping us.”
Mr Robson, 54, described how he saw his daughter waving at him before the explosion went off, as he stood at the top of a set of stairs with partner Jean Forster.
Sitting at his daughter’s bedside, he said: “The next thing it was just this boom. It went. It was just white. It was surreal, it was just quiet.”
Mr Robson tied his jumper around Millie’s leg to stem the bleeding and carried her, telling her not to look at anyone else but him as the group fled the “carnage”.
Millie said international star Grande had been “really nice” and “lovely” during their pre-show meeting, and mum Marie Robson, 43, revealed the superfan had been concerned about the singer’s wellbeing following the attack.
Describing her reaction to the Queen’s visit, Millie said: “She was lovely. It was mind-blowing really. You don’t really expect it.”
