MTV EMAs 2022: Taylor Swift thanks her fans as she takes home four top awards
Taylor Swift has dominated this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards, taking home four of the six gongs she was up for – best artist, best video, best pop and best longform video.
There had been high hopes for some of the British stars up for awards – including Adele, Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles, who had led the nominations, however – Swift proved herself to be queen of the MTV EMAs.
The 32-year-old megastar – who recently re-recorded some of her earliest hits in order to regain control of her work – praised her legion of fans (known as Swifties) as she accepted each award, thanking them for their unwavering support.
Power couple Taika Waititi (L) and Rita Ora hosted the night
When presented with the best artist gong by Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, Swift told the auditorium of screaming fans: “You have no idea how much this even means to me to do this as a career…
“There’s not a single moment I take that for granted. I love you so much, I can’t believe I get to do this as a job, and it’s all because of you. Thank you so, so much.”
The annual international music awards, which took place in Dusseldorf, Germany, and was hosted by celebrity power-couple Rita Ora and Taika Waititi, also saw stars including Nicki Minaj, Muse and Gorillaz take home gongs from 20 gender-neutral categories.
Read more: See the full list of MTV EMA winners here
Performances on the night included Stormzy – who away from his normal style performed his ballad Fire Babe on TV for the first time – plus live music from Lewis Capaldi, Bebe Rexha, and Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra.
British TikTok star and Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder also bought a bit of Eurovision glam to the night, presenting the award for best collaboration to French DJ David Guetta and US star Bebe Rexha. Guetta also took best electronic act.
There was even a surprise recorded message from Hollywood A-lister Tom Cruise, introducing OneRepublic’s Top Gun: Maverick hit song I Ain’t Worried.
As her night of wins continued, Swift accepted the best longform video award – which was one of two new categories this year – from singer/songwriter Julian Lennon, the son of the late John Lennon.
Swift, accepting yet another prize
As she took to the stage, Swift again praised her fans for their continued support, telling them: “You’re the reason that anything has ever happened to me.”
She explained: “I have been writing and directing my music videos for a long time but this was the first short film I have made and I felt like I learned so much about myself of how making film can be a natural extension of my storytelling just like song writing.”
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink and Teen Wolf actor Dylan O’Brien starred in the music video which went viral earlier this year after fans speculated the song was based on Swift’s break-up with actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
As well as the long-form prize, it also took best video, with Swift telling fans: “This almost never happened,” going on to explain that when she first released the song 10 years ago it wasn’t a single, and didn’t have a video.
She went on: “I can only explain this by saying that the fans willed this to happen. I will never stop thanking you for this.”
Eurovision winners Kalush Orchestra performed
The video also picked up the prestigious video of the year gong at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year.
When handed the best pop prize, Swift joked: “You gotta wear a lot of sequins and learn choreography and that is very hard.”
She has been dominating the charts across the world in recent weeks following the release of her new album Midnights – the year’s fastest selling album.
Nicki Minaj took the award for best song with Super Freaky Girl, along with best hip hop act.
Despite having the most nominations (seven), ex-One Direction star Harry Styles only took home one award on the night – best live performance. He wasn’t there in person to pick up his prize.
Muse took home best rock act, dedicating their album to ‘people of Ukraine and the women in Iran’
Best rock act went to Muse, who opened the ceremony with their new track Will Of The People.
Refusing to shy away from hard political truths amid the glamour of the showbiz night, lead singer Matt Bellamy told the MTV audience: “We’d love to dedicate this whole album to the people of Ukraine and the women in Iran who are fighting for their freedom as we celebrate tonight.”
Gorillaz – fronted by Blur star Damon Albarn – took best alternative band, while Sam Smith took video for good.
It was also a good night for K-pop, with South Korean boyband Seventeen taking best new act and best push, Blackpink taking best metaverse performance (the second new category of the night), and one of the band’s members, Lisa, taking best K-pop act, and BTS taking biggest fans.
Best Latin performer went to Anitta and best R&B to US star Chloe.
The MTV EMAs 2022 was broadcast live on MTV on Sunday 13 November. You can watch the full 2022 MTV EMA show from 14 November on Paramount+ UK
David Graham, whose voice featured in some of the UK’s favourite TV shows, including Thunderbirds and Peppa Pig, has died.
The London-born star was 99.
Jamie Anderson, the son of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, led the tributes on X as he called Graham a “legendary” actor.
Graham brought to life the Thunderbirds puppet characters Gordon Tracy, scientist Brains, and Lady Penelope’s driver, Aloysius “Nosey” Parker, in the series about the secret International Rescue organisation.
David Graham with Parker from Thunderbirds. Pic: Geoff Pugh/Shutterstock
“We will miss you dearly, David. Our thoughts are with David’s friends and family,” Anderson’s post on X confirming the death on Friday said.
Anderson went on to pay tribute to Graham, who also voiced the evil Daleks in Doctor Who, saying: “David was always a wonderful friend to us here at Anderson Entertainment.”
‘What a talent’
Anderson also told the PA news agency: “Just a few weeks ago, I was with 2,000 Anderson fans at a Gerry Anderson concert in Birmingham where we sang him happy birthday – such a joyous occasion.
“And now, just a few weeks later, he’s left us. David was always kind and generous with his time and his talent. And what a talent.”
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Parker from Thunderbirds. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Highlighting all the characters played by Graham, Anderson added: “He will be sorely missed.”
Graham returned as Parker for ITV’s remake Thunderbirds Are Go, which ran between 2015 and 2020, but not for the live-action 2004 film which saw Ron Cook take on the role.
Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
The original 1965 Thunderbirds was created by Gerry Anderson, who died in 2012, and his second wife, Sylvia, the voice of Lady Penelope, who died in 2016.
Graham also played Grandpa Pig in children’s show Peppa Pig, and provided the voice for characters in Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom.
His in-person acting roles included Doctor Who, Coronation Street and Casualty.
“Trailblazing” actress Cleo Sylvestre who starred in films, soap operas and stage plays has died aged 79, her agent has said.
Sylvestre, also known as Cleopatra Palmer, appeared in productions as diverse as Crossroads, Shakespeare’s As You Like It and the first Paddington movie.
A spokesperson for Fulcrum Talent said: “It is with deep regret that I have to announce the sad news that Cleo Sylvestre MBE died this morning.
“Much loved and admired by her peers, she will be remembered as a trailblazer and a true friend. She will be sorely missed by so many.”
Sylvestre and Susan Hanson in Crossroads. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Sylvestre was also a singer and recorded with The Rolling Stones, who backed her on a 1964 cover of To Know Him Is To Love Him. She later worked as a musician with her blues band Honey B Mama And Friends.
Born in Hertfordshire in April 1945, she was brought up in London by her mother Laureen Sylvestre and studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.
She was made an MBE in 2023 for services to drama and charity and was married to Ian Palmer until his death in 1995.
Sylvestre enjoyed roles in some of TV’s best-known shows, including playing Melanie Harper, the adopted daughter of Meg Richardson in ITV’s long-running Crossroads, during the 1970s.
Other TV roles came in The Bill, New Tricks, Till Death Do Us Part, Grange Hill, Doctor Who and Coronation Street.
Sylvestre in 1968. Pic: ITV/Shutterstock
Her more recent parts included ITV thriller Platform 7, and Channel 5’s revamp of All Creatures Great And Small.
Sylvestre began her acting career on the stage and was the first black actress to take a leading role in a National Theatre production – in National Health in 1969.
She made her Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) debut playing Audrey in a 2023 production of As You Like It.
Her film roles have ranged from the 2014 film Paddington, Kidulthood from 2006 and 1993’s The Punk.
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US-born playwright and author Bonnie Greer wrote on X that Sylvestre was “one of the reasons that-from my vantage point in NYC (New York City) that I thought that this country has the best anglophone theatre, and the best place to be a Black woman in it”.
She added: “I still think that. Thank you, Cleo!”
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, the UK’s first sickle cell nurse specialist, wrote that she was “devastated” at the death of her “wonderful, kind friend”.
A painting of a nude woman with her legs open has prompted a police visit to an art gallery in Mid Wales.
The painting is on display in the window of The Table in Hay-on-Wye, Powys.
Warning: The image below shows the painting
According to gallery owner Val Harris, the police have asked her to remove the painting under the Public Order Act, but she has refused to do so.
Ms Harris told Sky News the response the painting had received from some people was “shocking” and “rather sad”.
“We had the police here under the Public Order Act. They’d had complaints,” she said.
“I’m not prepared to take it out of the window. I run an art gallery, I support my artists, so that’s where we got to.
“And Poppy [Baynham, the artist] wants to keep it in the window, if she wanted to move it ’cause she was finding it too traumatic, I would have respected whatever she wanted.”
The painting formed part of the gallery’s It’s Party Time exhibition.
Some of the complaints were read out in a public meeting on Thursday afternoon, called so people could ask questions about the artwork.
One complaint was that the painting was “not suitable for children”, while another described it as “very sexualised”.
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Baynham told Sky News it was “only supportive people” who attended the meeting after the complaints had been made.
“I think everyone who didn’t like the painting was just a bit scared to show their faces obviously. So it turned out really, really great, a lot of people showed up,” she said.
“I couldn’t do it without the support, I think I would have given in if it was all hate.”
The painting on display at The Table. Pic: Val Harris
The discussion that has been sparked by Ms Baynham’s painting is “all an artist dreams of”, she added.
“The publicity has been amazing for my work, I’ve never had so much people talk about it.”
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A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed it had received a report and that officers had attended the gallery.
They added the neighbourhood policing team was monitoring the situation.
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