Good Morning Britain's Susanna Reid was overcome with emotion as she listened to the heart-wrenching memories of the parents whose daughters tragically lost their lives in Southport last year. Susanna struggled to contain her feelings in her poignant TV encounter with Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe's parents during the Monday (February 10) broadcast. The show deeply touched viewers as the devastated parents lovingly remembered their "beautiful" girls and the dreadful events of July 2024.
Bebe, aged six, and Elsie, seven, were killed with Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, on July 29 last year by Axel Rudakubana, who perpetrated a knife assault during a Taylor Swift-themed dance session in Southport, Merseyside. Constrained by legal reasons from being identified, Bebe's parents described the profound sorrow at Alder Hey Children's Hospital for her final moments. They expressed gratitude towards the hospital's Snowdrops Bereavement Suite staff for allowing them a profoundly significant final week with their child.
"She was in her pyjamas, we read to her. The family visited her in the final day. We lay next to her and we did our final goodbye," Bebe's mother disclosed. "We had the most beautiful and profound week with Bebe. It's not what any other parent would ever want to go through, but we saw her, and we were with her, and she was beautiful. She was at peace, she just looked like she was asleep. "And at first, it was really quite traumatic, but since last week, we just realised what a huge gift that was for us because she was at peace and that's how I want her to be remembered," reports the Manchester Evening News.
Elsie's parents, Jenni and David, celebrated their daughter's creativity and "natural flair to design". "From day one, I've always said, 'Elsie didn't know bad.' She was fearless in a sense," Jenni reflected, while David chimed in: "She was so brave.". The couple also recounted the special moment they met Taylor Swift after the singer invited them backstage at Wembley, saying, "If Elsie knew that Taylor knew her, it's like all her dreams had come true.".
They expressed gratitude towards Sir Keir Starmer for discussing plans for a public inquiry to scrutinise decisions made, adding, "Our town, our country has shown us nothing but support, compassion, and love. We started a charity called Elsie's Story.". They also shared their struggle with grief: "There's been so many times when we've said, 'We'll never feel true happiness again, ever.' It might just be a little bit of something when we make another child smile for Elsie.".
Susanna visibly moved during the conversation, told Ed Balls, "I felt when I was talking to the parents, I said, 'It feels like your daughters are here.' And they said that they feel their presence" as she held back tears. "They want to keep that spirit alive, and I feel when you listen to the interviews... you feel that, you feel the spirit and the essence of those girls through the wonderful words and courage of their parents.".
The parents also voiced their opposition to the televised sentencing of the man responsible for their daughters' deaths, wanting the girls to be remembered for their "pure light" and "pure joy", rather than the tragic circumstances of their passing. The perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years - one of the longest minimum terms ever recorded. Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am.
