Saffie Roussos: Funeral held for youngest victim of Manchester Arena bombing

The funeral of Saffie Rose Roussos, the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing, has taken place at the city's cathedral.

Her father, Andrew Roussos, called her a "stunning young lady" and said he "was honoured to be her dad, honoured. She was a superstar in the making".

Fighting back tears, he said: "To become something in life you have to have that spark, that charisma. The ones that make it are born with it… and Saffie had that.

"All she asked of us was to love her, to reassure her that we were there for her, to let her go off and do what she wanted to do."

Dozens of mourners carrying a single red rose - at the request of the family - arrived to celebrate her life and say goodbye to the eight-year-old.

They were handed a card showing a smiling photo of the young girl, with the message: "We would like to thank you for being here today with us and for all your love & support. The Roussos family."

They invited anyone affected by the attack in Manchester to attend and a steady stream of people began arriving at the cathedral from mid-morning onwards.

Saffie, from Leyland, near Preston, was killed as she left the arena after an Ariana Grande concert in May, having been given the tickets by her parents for Christmas.

She died from multiple injuries.

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi's home-made device was packed with nuts and bolts and killed 22 people, seven of them under 18.

Her mother, Lisa Roussos, 48, who is still receiving treatment for her injuries, arrived at the service with her arm in a sling.

She was accompanied by Saffie's stepsister, Ashlee Bromwich, who was also wounded.

In Tarleton, the village where Saffie and her brother went to school, people tied pink balloons to gate posts and lamp posts as a mark of remembrance.

A short service will also be held in the local church later.

The family have published a montage of photographs of Saffie, set to Ariana Grande's hit One Last Time. The montage was also played at the service.

The YouTube video shows family pictures, including Saffie playing with her brother Xander, and the little girl on holiday with her parents, wearing make-up and dressing up.

Saffie's friends hope the video will be liked and shared using the hashtag #Saffiethesuperstar to fulfil her dream of becoming a YouTube star.