Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins gives horrifying account of Ariana Grande concert terror attack that left at least 22 dead
EMMERDALE star Isabel Hodgins has given a horrifying eye-witness account of the Ariana Grande concert terror attack in Manchester that left at least 22 people dead, including children.
The 23-year-old soap star, who plays Victoria Sugden on the ITV soap, was at the Manchester Arena show on Monday night where Grande, 23, had just finished performing.
Speaking to Sky News after the incident on Monday night, Isabel gave a chilling account of the moment the suicide bomber struck and the panic that followed.
She said: "The concert had just finished and we were all leaving and then there was a big bang to our left. Everybody ran away from that immediate area.
"We didn’t know what had happened. People were screaming and running but then it kind of died down.
Isabel said there was initial confusion as giant pink balloons had been released onto the concert audience towards the climax of the show - with some unsure if they had heard an explosion or just a balloon pop.
She added: "We didn’t know if a balloon had gone off, because balloons had been released in the concert so we didn’t know if it was that.
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"Everybody was panicking, there was pushing up the stairs. People were obviously running, climbing down and over the chairs.
"As we got out, everybody was screaming and crying and then the corridor was full of – it smelled of burning and there was quite a lot of smoke as we were leaving."
She added: "The area had been blocked off so we couldn’t go any further but we managed to get out quite quickly and then there was just lots of police and ambulances arriving as we were leaving.";
Isabel described her shock after learning there had been fatalities in the incident.
She said: "It’s just terrifying and it’s really shocking. My heart goes out to anybody that’s been hurt or anything like that. It’s just terrifying."
Isabel continued: "We didn’t know what was happening. We just wanted to be out of Manchester and be safe.
"As it’s progressed and the story has developed it is shocking. We feel very shaken up. We are lucky to have got away safely."
Isabel said staff at the arena reacted quickly to the incident with clear announcements for the audience to make their way out of the venue.
She recounted: "When we were trying to leave the corridor was just full of people. As we were leaving that’s when the tannoy was going off saying, ‘You need to evacuate the area'."
She said: "There was sheer panic. Everyone wanted to get away and get safe."
A spokesperson for Ariana Grande has says the star is “okay” following the incident.
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