The father of Manchester terror attack victim Saffie Roussos has paid tribute to his “stunning” daughter.
Andrew Roussos told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme Saffie was a “huge character”, on what would have been her ninth birthday.
He said he wanted her name and images to be remembered through the media, as it was what she would have wanted.
Saffie was one of 22 people killed in a terror attack after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May.
‘A huge character’
Mr Roussos, a Cypriot from Lancashire, described his daughter as “a stunning young girl”.
“She was a joker. She was a huge character. She was just everything you could wish for in a little girl.
“She loved dancing, music, gymnastics. If she wanted something, she would do it,” he added.
“[She loved] fame, stardom.
“I knew that Saffie would love her pictures to be on, and to be spoken about on, TV,” he said, speaking to the programme in his first interview since the attack.
Saffie – whose idol was Ariana – had been at the concert with her mother Lisa and 26-year-old sister Ashlee Bromwich.
Mr Roussos remembered arriving to discover Ashlee being treated at the scene, while Saffie and his wife were missing.
“We just walked round and all the police were there. It was chaos.
“You’re panicking and worrying. You don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
Mr Roussos, with the help of a friend, eventually received confirmation from Salford Royal Hospital that they were caring for his wife. But he heard nothing of Saffie.
“As the hours went on, I thought the worst,” he said.
His faint hope, he added, was “that she was in one of the hotels”.
He was later informed by a police detective that Saffie had died.
“I couldn’t take it in. I just sat there looking at him,” he said. “It’s just your worst nightmare. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know what to think.
Saffie’s mother Lisa was placed in an induced coma by doctors.
When she awoke – Mr Roussos explained – she knew her daughter had died, saying, “Saffie’s gone, isn’t she?”.
He said he “nodded, and that was it. That’s all that was said really”.
Mrs Roussos is still recovering and has had multiple operations. She is improving, he said, at a much quicker rate than doctors had expected.
He said the rest of the family were “all strong for each other”.
“We do a little bit of laughing, a little bit of joking, a little bit of crying and cuddling, and that’s how we get through the day.”
Mr Roussos said he had met with Ariana Grande before her One Love Manchester concert in June.
“I wanted to tell her what she meant to Saffie,” he said. “I wanted to tell her I don’t want her to blame herself.
“All she could say to me was, ‘I’m sorry’, and I said, ‘You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. You made Saffie so happy with what you do’.
“She thanked me,” he said. “She appreciated me telling her that.”
Mr Roussos said he was thankful that Saffie managed to enjoy the entire Ariana Grande concert before she died and that the attack had not taken place before the singer had finished her performance.
“I’m grateful she got to see all of it,” he said.