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Katy Perry asks tear-jerking question to schoolgirl who ‘lost her confidence’

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The Mirror went behind-the-scenes at Katy Perry’s London O2 gig where the American singer met Pride of Britain winner Florrie Bark and her group of new friends, all of who have battled cancer

There were tears, hugs and face-aching grins when Katy Perry met Pride of Britain winner Florrie Bark and her new friends for a very special backstage party.

California Girls singer Katy, 40, took time out before her London O2 gig on Monday night to meet Florrie, nine, and eight other children who have been supported by Florrie’s award-winning cancer charity BeMoreFab.

“Are you real?” Katy, who was dressed as a blue robot, asked the children as she popped her head around the door of the green room and made them gasp in shock. “I know I’m real, but are you?”

Walking towards Florrie, Katy addressed her by name and asked the little girl to introduce her to all of her new friends.

Alana Bee, 16, who is recovering from cervical cancer, burst into tears as she met her idol. “Oh my god, I’ve just touched Katy Perry,” she gushed. “Touched me? Girlie-pop, you can hug me!” the singer told her before embracing the teen and telling her that she liked Alana’s makeup.

Later, Alana grinned: “I kissed Katy Perry – and I liked it! When she came in the room I was paralysed, then it hit me she was really there. I just sobbed and was hyperventilating.”

Her mum Vanya said the night out had done Alana the world of good. “She’d lost confidence since having tumours on her thyroid at the age of 14, and then last year being diagnosed with cervical cancer. She hasn’t been at school since Year 9 and when her beautiful long hair fell out she didn’t even want to leave the house.”

But inspired by the wonderful staff who have cared for her, Alana has just started at college and wants to be a pediatric oncology nurse, so she in turn can look after ill children.

Her new-found friend Amelie Flatt, 13 from Hitchen, was just as overwhelmed when Katy approached them. Eighteen months on from a bone marrow transplant to treat the cancer that has cropped up four times from childhood, Amelie is only just transitioning back into ‘normal’ life and returning to school.

She left virtually speechless when the popstar admired her make-up and home-made Fireworks t-shirt.

“I can’t believe I met her,” she beamed afterwards, wiping tears from her eyes. “Her songs bring so many happy memories from when I finally got to see my friends and stuff.

“When she told me my make-up was incredible, that is my biggest flex now. I’m never going to let that go – I need it on a t-shirt! At least I played it cool…”

Amelie added: “Katy said that I was really an amazing, strong person and that I inspire her.

“She promised to sing California Girls extra-loud for us.”

Her mum Sofia said proudly: “Katy was absolutely amazing, she gave them all so much of her time. What a beautiful human. That was such a special moment and Amelie will never, ever forget it.”

Of little Florrie from Corby, who last year won the Pride of Britain Child of Courage award for her indomitable spirit and tireless fundraising to help other children living with cancer, Katy said: “You are a queen. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Florrie is awaiting a lung transplant after complications from her bone marrow transplant, which she had after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia at the age of six.

She launched BeMoreFab with parents Andrew and Stacy, and raised more than £120,000 in just three months, which helps other children living with cancer to access tutors to catch them up with missed school work.

Turning to Andrew and Stacy and hugging them, Katy said: “You have produced a truly incredible human being.”

Katy, mum to Daisy Dove Bloom, five, who she shares with ex Orlando Bloom, spoke to each of the children – Emmy Whitmee, 9, of Rothwell, West Yorks; Ellerie Carroll, 9, of Bradford; Bella Shalgosky, 9, of Corby; Kaiden Edwards, 10, of High Wycombe, Bucks; Darcie Smith, 7, of Belfast and Ada Rumney, 8, of Eastlound near Doncaster.

She then insisted on meeting each of their parents and taking selfies.

And she made the children laugh as she told them they could stay up all night and didn’t have to listen to their mums and dads.

“Do we need them? Yes we do – to bring us stuff,” said Florrie, making the whole room burst into laughter. “They can go to the grocery store?” said Katy. “Yeah – and bring us medicines,” Florrie quipped.

“You know what they can’t do? They can’t tell us to go to bed any time soon,” Katy laughed, shooting a look over at the parents.

“We can stay up for five hours and listen to the music!” cheered Florrie.

Before leaving to get ready for her show, Katy told the children – who handed her a BeMoreFab rainbow friendship bracelet – that she would “never forget” them.

“Stay in the light,” she urged them, hugging them all once again. “You are the light. Hold this moment in your heart forever, OK? And I’ll never, ever forget you.

“I love you so much. You’re the best!”

With a swish of long black hair – into which shimmering strands of silver had been weaved – Katy departed for the stage, leaving the group in raptures.

“It was so nice to see how happy everybody was and some of the girls were crying,” said Florrie.

“Katy knows our names now and she remembered us!”

Bella Shalgosky, nine, was comforted by her best friend Emmy Whitmee – wearing matching pink shimmering outfits – as she sobbed with happiness. Later, the pair watched over the balcony of their VIP box at the O2, screaming out the lyrics as Katy performed all her high-octane greatest hits.

Bella is also from Corby, but she and Florrie had never met before Monday night – despite Andrew being her headteacher before he left to launch BeMoreFab. Florrie, who wore a blanket emblazoned with faces of her family members, said she and Bella will definitely stay in touch. “I’m going to get a Bella blanket!” she smiled.

Sean Reddington, co-CEO of Thrive Learning, who donated the use of the VIP suite so the children could enjoy a truly special night out, was thrilled that Katy had been so kind to them all.

“Florrie is such a special little girl and deserves to be treated, but she in turn wants to make other children happy,” he said. “She wanted to make new friends and give them a little moment of joy – and that’s what makes her so incredible.”

The children and their parents got to watch the entire show from the box, including when Katy appeared to confirm her romance with ex-Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, after photos of them emerged at the weekend canoodling on Katy’s private yacht.

Speaking to a fan in the crowd called Darren who was holding up a sign asking her to marry him, she joked: “Oh my god! You should have asked me 48 hours ago!”

Katy also poked fun at the breakdown of both her former relationships with shamed comedian Russell Brand and actor Orlando Bloom, laughing: “Look at this beautiful crowd. No wonder I fall for Englishmen all the time.”

Her mum Mary was also in attendance with little Daisy, and Katy quipped that she would no longer sing her risque hit Peacock, even though it is Daisy’s “favourite song”.

“Mom doesn’t like it – whoever wrote it should be very ashamed of themselves,” Katy told the crowd. “Yes, I wrote it – there we go. Mom is praying right now… she’s been praying since 2008!”

Up in the box, nine brilliant children partied right until the end of the show, waving glowsticks and swapping phone numbers so they can stay in touch.

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“What a night,” grinned Florrie’s mum Stacy. “They were able to have one day where they weren’t just patients worrying about their next treatment or isolating in hospital. This will stay with us forever.”

READ MORE: Katy Perry breaks silence on romance with Justin Trudeau with cheeky quip on stage in London

Armenia captain ‘lost his head’ – Republic of Ireland’s Azaz on red card

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Finn Azaz said Armenia captain Tigran Barseghyan “lost his head” when he headbutted the Republic of Ireland midfielder in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Dublin.

In the game’s major flashpoint, Barseghyan was dismissed seven minutes into the second half after thrusting his head into Azaz’s face as the players clashed on the sideline.

With a numerical advantage, the Republic of Ireland eventually broke the deadlock on 70 minutes through Evan Ferguson’s header, which earned them a vital first win in World Cup qualifying.

Southampton’s Azaz pointed to the red card as the turning point for the hosts, who also fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Hungary last month after their opponents had Roland Sallai sent off.

“It was a heated game, there is a lot of emotion, it was a physical game and these moments can happen,” Azaz told BBC Sport NI.

“He has lost his head and the consequences were they went down to 10 men. It was a headbutt, I felt the contact.”

‘We can do something special against Portugal’

The nervy win in Dublin moves the Republic of Ireland up to third in Group F, a point behind Hungary, who boosted their chances of securing a play-off place with a dramatic late draw against Portugal.

The group is delicately poised with two games remaining. If Hungary beat Armenia in their next game, the Republic of Ireland must earn at least a point to take the battle for second place into their trip to Budapest on 16 November.

The Republic of Ireland’s chances have twice been hit by late goals during this window, having conceded a 91st-minute Ruben Neves goal in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Portugal in Lisbon.

However, Azaz hopes the Irish players can build on that performance and Tuesday’s crucial win in their quest to upset Cristiano Ronaldo and co in Dublin on 13 November.

“We know it’s going to be tough, but we’ll take confidence from last week and this game and we’ll be confident we can do something special,” Azaz added.

“It’s going to be a big occasion, we saw the last game we can compete and they’re top players, but we have to be able to compete and no doubt we’ll be right up for it.”

Armenia boss Yegishe Melikyan said Barseghyan apologised to his team-mates after the game.

“Of course, the red card changed the game. It was a mistake,” said Melikyan.

“He took responsibility. He said sorry to the whole dressing room. But, if a player makes a mistake, it is also my mistake and for that I apologise.

Related topics

  • Republic of Ireland Men’s Football Team
  • Northern Ireland Sport
  • Football
  • Irish Football

How will Donald Trump enforce his plan for Gaza?

The US President has urged leaders in the Middle East to move past conflict.

United States President Donald Trump says his Gaza ceasefire deal will bring peace to the Middle East.

Some 20 world leaders, including Trump, signed the agreement at a special summit in Egypt on Monday.

The deal outlines the steps both Hamas and Israel must take to maintain the ceasefire and end the war in Gaza.

But it does not quite address the bigger question of what will happen in the Palestinian territory beyond the next few months.

What about Israel’s larger occupation? And the establishment of a viable Palestinian state?

How will Trump’s plan address these important issues?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Ori Goldberg – political commentator

Phyllis Bennis – fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies

Syria’s al-Sharaa to meet Russia’s Putin in Moscow on Wednesday

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Russia on Wednesday to meet with President Vladimir Putin, Syria’s state news agency reports, as part of a broader diplomatic push to bolster the Damascus transitional government’s international legitimacy.

It will be al-Sharaa’s first official visit to Moscow, a longtime ally of the former Bashar al-Assad regime that al-Sharaa’s forces ousted in December.

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During the visit, al-Sharaa and Putin will discuss “regional and international developments” and “ways to strengthen cooperation”, Syria’s SANA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the presidential media directorate. Al-Sharaa will also meet with members of the Syrian community living in Russia, the report said.

The Reuters news agency cited a Syrian official as saying that al-Sharaa will hold talks on the continued presence of Russia’s naval base in Tartous and its air base in Khmeimim. The source added that al-Sharaa also plans to formally request that Moscow hand over al-Assad, who has been living in exile with his family in Moscow since fleeing Syria in December.

Al-Sharaa, who once headed the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda under the name Abu Mohammed al-Julani, commanded rebel forces that seized Damascus and installed a new government late last year, ending al-Assad’s decades-long rule.

Since then, Russia has sought to build ties with Syria’s new leadership, including offering Damascus diplomatic support over Israeli strikes on Syrian territory.

SANA reported that Putin called al-Sharaa in February, expressing support for Syria’s “unity, sovereignty and stability”. In July, Putin and his minister of foreign affairs, Sergey Lavrov, met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani in Moscow.

The Syrian president’s visit to Moscow follows his September trip to New York, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), declaring that Syria was “reclaiming its rightful place among the nations of the world” and urging for an end to sanctions.

England Rout Latvia To Qualify For World Cup

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Harry Kane scored twice as England secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup after a 5-0 thrashing of Latvia on Tuesday.

Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in Riga before Kane took his tally for club and country this season to 21 goals in 13 games.

A Maksims Tonisevs own-goal and Eberechi Eze’s strike rounded off the scoring as the Three Lions guaranteed top spot in Group K of UEFA qualifying with two games to spare.

Thomas Tuchel has completed his first task with ease as his side became the first European nation to qualify.

England have won all six of their qualifiers since the German took charge, scoring 18 goals without conceding.

“It comes rarely that you qualify for a World Cup, so the mood is very, very good,” said Tuchel. “In the dressing room, it’s all smiles, music. It’s a moment to enjoy because it’s a special moment.”

After a slow start to Tuchel’s reign with unconvincing victories over Albania and Andorra, plus a friendly defeat to Senegal in June, England have clicked into gear over the past two international breaks.

“Of course we expect us to win against Latvia, but the way we won first of all gives us a lot of satisfaction,” added Tuchel.

“We did it six out of six wins, six clean sheets. We are there and to have this feeling is a very unique feeling.”

Players including England’s defender #02 Ezri Konsa and Latvia’s defender #02 Daniels Balodis vie for the ball in the box during the 2026 World Cup qualifying group K football match between Latvia and England at the Daugava Stadium in Riga, Latvia on October 14, 2025, (Photo by Gints Ivuskans / AFP)

Tuchel’s decision to leave out fit-again Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden from his squad this month was questioned.

But the former Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss has been rewarded for implementing continuity with his selection.

Gordon is one of those to benefit from a run of games on the left of a front three.

The Newcastle winger opened the floodgates when he cut inside to curl into the far corner for just his second England goal on 26 minutes.

‘Building Momentum’

Kane had uncharacteristically missed a glorious early chance when he steered a Gordon cross wide.

The Bayern Munich striker soon found his range with two goals in four minutes at the end of the first half to take his international tally to 76 in 110 caps.

Despite losing his balance, Kane steered a shot into the far corner off his weaker left foot to double England’s lead.

Kane then accepted the gift of a soft penalty award for holding of his shirt by Latvia captain Antonijs Cernomordijs.

“I spoke before about building momentum, no matter who we play,” said Kane.

“We hold on to that. Hold on to winning games, to clean sheets, to pressing high, scoring goals and we’ve done all of that.”

England were able to coast through the second period despite five substitutions disrupting the visitors’s attacking flow.

England forward #15 Morgan Rogers (C) controls the ball in front of Latvia’s goalkeeper #01 Krisjanis Zviedris (L) during the 2026 World Cup qualifying group K football match between Latvia and England at the Daugava Stadium in Riga, Latvia on October 14, 2025, (Photo by Gints Ivuskans / AFP)

The fourth goal was a self-inflicted blow by Latvia as the ball looped into his own net off Tonisevs after goalkeeper Krisjanis Zviedris failed to connect with Djed Spence’s cross.

Eze was one of those introduced after the break and the Arsenal playmaker rounded off the scoring with a fine run and finish on 86 minutes.

England have not failed to qualify for a World Cup since it was last in the USA back in 1994.

The hard work for Tuchel now starts in trying to deliver his adopted nation’s first major trophy since 1966.

Hard decisions lie ahead with Bellingham, Foden, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer among those not even in the travelling squad to Riga.