Ellie Goulding made an emotional return to the UK stage this week, as her estranged father watched her perform live for the very first time. The 29-year-old singer is starting to build bridges with her dad Arthur, who walked out when she was five-years-old, and he was in the audience as she performed at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Tuesday.Speaking to the Sun ahead of her Delirium tour concert, Ellie said: "I'm nervous for tonight, as I love coming home. Cardiff is the closest venue to home and really close to my heart. Dad's never seen a show before. This is his first time, which I'm really genuinely shocked and happy about. We've forgotten the past."
© Photo: Getty ImagesEllie Goulding's estranged father has watched her perform live for the very first time
Ellie and Arthur were first reunited when she was 19-years-old, but they then didn't see each other for another ten years, at the christening of her sister Isabel's baby in December.The star, who released a song about her father titled I Know You Care in 2012, has previously admitted that her dad's decision to leave means she finds it hard to trust men. Speaking in 2014, Ellie said: "I did find it hard to trust people when my dad left. Particularly men. Song writing is a form of therapy, I think. "Ellie recently split from her boyfriend Dougie Poynter, but she hid her emotions well as she took to the stage in Cardiff. The couple, who dated on-and-off for two years are believed to have been forced apart by their conflicting career commitments.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe 29-year-old singer recently split from Dougie Poynter
Ellie is currently in the middle of her Delirium world tour, which will see her play dates all over Europe throughout March, including 11 in the UK, before heading to North America in April for three months.McBusted musician Dougie, meanwhile, is currently living in LA hoping to realise his dreams of becoming an actor.In January, Ellie spoke about the couple's long-distance romance during an appearance on Lorraine. "He's out in LA. He's working really hard, he's doing all sorts of things," the star said of her boyfriend. "He's started acting which is amazing and he's a complete natural so I'm excited to see what comes of that. "You know we work it out, we figure it out. We're pretty realistic with things and we're pretty sensible about it so we just see each other when we can. "When asked if they will settle down at some point, Ellie said: "I mean yeah, it's just that sort of time when everything becomes up in the air… but at some point maybe."
