Tributes for youngest Manchester victim on what would be her birthday

"She was just everything you could wish for in a little girl."

The family of the youngest victim of the Manchester bombing has paid tribute to the little girl on what would have been her ninth birthday. Saffie Roussos lost her life along with 21 others in the suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester Arena on 22 May. She would have turned nine today.

"She loved dancing, music, gymnastics" The youngest Manchester attack victim, Saffie Roussos, would hv turned 9 today. Her dad pays tribute pic.twitter.com/YfMABuH8jT

— Victoria Derbyshire (@VictoriaLIVE) July 4, 2017

Speaking to the BBC, her father Andrew said Saffie 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. "[She loved] fame, stardom. "I knew that Saffie would love her pictures to be on, and to be spoken about on TV."

Saffie attended the concert with her mum Lisa and sister Ashlee Bromwich. Lisa was critically injured in the incident and left in a coma. She knew when she woke up that she had lost her daughter, explained Mr Roussos.

"I was dreading it. She just looked at me and said 'she's gone isn't she?', and I said 'yeah'. She goes, 'I knew'."

He added that he hasn't dwelled on how or why the attack happened as it wouldn't bring his daughter back.

"It doesn't matter what I think, It doesn't matter what I feel, how much anger I've got, it doesn't matter how much love I've got, it doesn't change a thing. "It doesn't, so I haven't even thought about it because if I could think about it, analyse it, break it down, sort it out and get Saffie back I'll do it but I can't.