Dermot O'Leary paid a poignant tribute to London as he dedicated Thursday's episode of The Nightly Show to the victims of the terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. In his opening monologue for the talk show, Dermot honoured the capital and its citizens for showing resilience in the face of Wednesday's atrocity, in which four people lost their lives. Addressing the audience, Dermot said: "The terror attacks yesterday happened just a mile away from here where we film The Nightly Show. Tonight we are dedicating our show to London; to the people who live here, visit here and who work hard to keep us safe here."
© Photo: RexDermot O'Leary dedicated The Nightly Show to London in a poignant opening monologue
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He continued: "People say London isn't Britain, but to be honest, I think it is. Being a Londoner has nothing to do with being born here, your colour of skin or the faith you follow. It's about acceptance, tolerance, stoicism and respect. It's about millions being able to live side-by-side, day-by-day, in an exciting, vibrant, infuriating, beautiful city. And as awful as yesterday was, we know that will endure. In my – and it is my humble opinion – it will just make us stronger. We'll go on living, working, playing, moaning and queuing together. So from us here at The Nightly Show tonight, here's to London, and here's to home."
Dermot's tribute echoed a similar speech made by James Corden at the start of the Late, Late Show on Wednesday night. James, who is from the London borough of Hillingdon, took a minute out of his US show to pay tribute to the victims, and explain how he felt upon hearing the news as an expatriate. "There was a terror attack today in my hometown - the city of London - in Westminster," he said in a piece to camera. "While we're filming this, it's still unknown what the motives were. What we do know at this point is that people have lost their lives and many, many more have been injured.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJames Corden paid tribute to his home city following the Westminster terror attack
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"Watching the news today, I felt a really long, long way from home," James explained. "When something like that happens in your hometown, you don't have a feeling of being glad that you're so far away, what you feel is that you wish you could be there with loved ones to stand alongside them." He continued: "London is a diverse and proud and brilliant city, and one thing is for sure: if this act of terrorism was supposed to divide the people of London, I know for a fact that all something like this does is bring them closer together as one. Tonight, we send our heartfelt thoughts to everybody in Britain. Stay safe."
