Viewers of Good Morning Britain were deeply moved as Elsie Dot Stancombe’s mother confessed she would “swap with Elsie any day.”
In an emotional first television interview since the tragic loss of their daughters in July 2024, the parents of seven-year-old Elsie and six-year-old Bebe King spoke with Susanna Reid on Monday (February 10).
The three young girls, including nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, fell victim to a horrific knife attack by Axel Rudakubana during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in 2024.
Reflecting on the heartbreaking incident, Elsie’s parents, Jenni and David, shared their sorrow, with Jenni expressing her deep regret that they weren’t present at the time of the attack.
Jenni recounted tearfully, “We just dropped her off to dance and make bracelets, that’s all we did. It was something nice for her to do for a couple of hours in the first week of the school holidays,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
She continued, “There’s lots gone over, and said, ‘Oh, we should never have sent her,’ but she wanted to go so much. And I think we’ve spoken about it a lot, and we’ve said, ‘She was in the right place and where she wanted to be.'”
David added his thoughts, saying, “Elsie and all the kids there had every right to be there and every right to feel safe.”
Jenni then revealed, “But if we had been there, it wouldn’t have happened,” and poignantly added, “I might not be here, but I’d never of let that happen.”
A visibly upset Susanna remarked, “You’d fight to the death for your children, wouldn’t you?” to which Jenni responded with heartfelt conviction, “Yeah, 100 percent. God, I’d swap with Elsie any day.”
Viewers of the show swiftly took to X (formerly known as Twitter ) to express their sorrow, with one posting: “In tears listening to the parents of those poor poor girls. Very hard to watch, absolutely heartbreaking! Just hearing little things like it was hard not getting to put their child to bed again broke me. You naturally think of your own kids.” (sic)
“I’m so upset, I hope them girl’s parents know how much we care #gmb I can’t get over it, imagine their heartbreak – it is impossible!” commented another, while a third remarked: “Very sad hearing the parents of the girls talking on #gmb.”
A fourth supporter shared the same emotions: “Beloved Elsie’s parents are just broken. They must keep talking and reflecting. She is watching over them and is with them spiritually forever.”
At the same time, another viewer expressed respect for the parents’ courage in speaking up: “I honestly don’t know how they did that, but I totally understand why they did it.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am