Piers Morgan Apologizes to Ariana Grande for Manchester Slam: ‘You’re One Helluva Gutsy Young Lady’

British TV personality had criticized singer for leaving the U.K. so soon after deadly attack

Piers Morgan Ariana Grande apology Manchester
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Beatrice Verhoeven, PWS

Piers Morgan has apologized to Ariana Grande after he criticized her for not visiting victims of the Manchester attack in the hospital, adding that he “misjudged” her.

The British TV personality wrote a column for the Daily Mail and also took to Twitter to apologize to the singer after she put on the “One Love Manchester” benefit concert on Sunday to honor the victims of the attack that killed 22 people. The journalist had slammed Grande for leaving the United Kingdom right after the attack instead of staying and visiting the survivors.

However, according to E! Online, the 23-year-old returned to England last week to visit injured fans at the hospital.

“I misjudged you, @ArianaGrande & I apologise,” Morgan tweeted Sunday. “You’re an admirable young woman & this is a magnificent night.”

In his Daily Mail column, Morgan apologized again for doubting the “One Last Time” singer and said she “showed more guts, resilience, strength of character and ‘Blitz spirit’ than every sniveling, pathetic ISIS coward put together” by organizing the benefit concert that featured acts by Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Pharrell.

“I still think it was wrong of you to flee the country so fast. I still think it would have been far better if you’d hung around to see your suffering fans first,” he wrote. “To my hard, cynical journalist mind, you had selfishly deserted them in their hour of need and run away from your responsibilities. You’re not a kid, you’re 23 – old enough to make your own decisions. Yes, I know you were shocked by what happened that night but you weren’t actually bombed and many of your fans were.”

However, he changed course in his essay, adding, “the truth is that you have made me eat my cynical words in quite spectacular fashion.”

“By coming back to Manchester so soon, shrugging off the latest attack in London, standing on that stage and performing with such raw emotion and power, you showed more guts, resilience, strength of character and ‘Blitz spirit’ than every snivelling, pathetic ISIS coward put together. And you certainly showed a damn sight more compassion than I ever showed you.”

He also wrote that he “seriously misjudged” the singer and that he was “completely wrong” — and that he is sorry he “questioned your courage” because she is one “helluva gutsy young lady.”

“You’re an exceptional young woman who last night put on an exceptional show and in doing so, sent a massive two fingers to the disgusting creeps who thought they could bomb you and your fans into submission,” he wrote.

A representative for Grande has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.

See Morgan’s tweets below.

Beatrice Verhoeven, PWS

Beatrice Verhoeven

Film Editor, Twitter: @bverhoev

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