Taylor Swift became emotional as she marked the first anniversary of her groping trial victory during a concert in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday (14Aug18).
On 14 August 2017, following a week-long trial, a judge awarded the singer a symbolic $1 (£0.79) after a jury found disgraced radio host David Mueller guilty of assaulting her during a 2013 meet-and-greet backstage at a concert in Denver, Colorado.
During her show in Tampa on Tuesday, Taylor grew emotional as she spoke about the case in public for the first time.
"A year ago I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa, I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado. This day a year ago was the day the jury sided in my favour and said that they believed me," she said. "I guess I just think about all the people that weren't believed and the people who haven't been believed, and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won't be believed.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry to anyone who ever wasn't believed because I don't know what turn my life would have taken if somebody didn't believe me when I said something had happened to me."
The Shake It Off singer continued by thanking her fans for being there for her during that "horrible part" of her life, and told them she appreciated that they trusted her enough to tell her about their own hard times whenever they meet.
"You guys have seen me go through so many ups and downs in my life just due to the public nature of the way my life is, and I just wanted to say that I'm so happy to see you and to have you and know you through the ups and the downs in my life, so thank you for everything," she concluded. "Sorry I just haven't really talked about it, and so I'm just not composed at all."
The 28-year-old had previously spoken about the case to Time magazine in December, when she crowned joint Person of the Year with other "Silence Breakers", those who came forward with allegations of sexual assault.
In 2015, Mueller initially sued Taylor claiming he was fired from Denver radio 98.5 KYGO after she told his bosses he assaulted her in 2013, allegations he had always denied. She responded by filing a countersuit, which led to the trial.
