Ariana Grande has remembered those who died in the Manchester Arena bombing on the two-year anniversary of the horrific incident

On Wednesday (22.05.19), Ariana shared a bee emoji on her Instagram Story as a reference to the city of Manchester, which has taken its traditional worker bee symbol as a sign of strength following the tragedy.

Earlier this year, the 25-year-old singer defended herself from backlash after she was announced as headliner for the Manchester Pride event in August.

Taking to Twitter, she wrote: "The LGBTQ community has been so special to me and supportive throughout my entire career. The relationships i have with my LGBTQ fans, friends, and family make me so so happy.

"I want to celebrate and support this community, regardless of my identity or how people label me. and also i wanna visit a city that means so much to me. LGBTQ representation is incredibly important, and I'm always proud to share the stage with LGBTQ artists!"

Ariana was confirmed as a performer at the top of the bill for the event - which will mark her first time playing in Manchester since her One Love concert just weeks after the attack two years ago - and while she "respects" people who don't think she deserves the spot, she is determined to "celebrate" with the community rather than being a poster girl for the "movement".

She added: "If you truly feel like i didn't deserve to be offered this spot, I respect that. But i did accept it excitedly and gratefully. I'm not claiming to be the hero of the community or the face of the LGBTQ rights movement - I just wanna put on a show that makes my LGBTQ fans feel special and celebrated and supported. That's all I wanna do."