The mother of tragic nine year-old Southport murder victim Alice da Silva Aguiar has spoken out for the first time to pay tribute to her daughter - and praise locals for supporting her family.
Alice, seven year-old Elsie Stancombe and Bebe King, six, were fatally stabbed by evil torture and genocide-obsessed 17 year-old Axel Rudakubana as they enjoyed a Taylor Swift-themed dance class last 29th July.
When Rudakubana was jailed for life with a minimum 52 years at Liverpool Crown Court last month, Alice's dad Sergio gave a statement to reveal how "living life without Alice is not living at all. It's a state of permanent numbness."
Now his Portuguese-born wife Alex, 34, has spoken about the heartbreaking loss of her daughter publicly for the first time - telling the Liverpool Echo how Southport now feels like her home.
Alex said: "Everyone has been incredible, people who don't know us and we're not from here and we've got so much help.
"People have been very kind, wanting to help us, we didn't expect that. We feel at home and we don't feel like we have to go back."
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Alex reminisced with her friend Sarah Radley-Buck, 33, whose daughter, Briar, was best friends with Alice while they both attended Churchtown Primary School.
Smiling and her eyes glistening, Alex recalled: "Alice started baby ballet when she was 16 months old and then just carried on.
"When she was four, she went to Southport Dance Academy and from then on Heidi [Liddle] was her ballet teacher. She started doing street dance two years ago in the same dance academy but then she stopped after Heidi went off on maternity leave. She was fuming.
"She kept on doing ballet on Saturdays and then she used to street dance. On Thursdays she would do cheerleading at the YMCA and the choir in the school every Tuesday."
Mum-of-one Heidi - who barricaded herself and a child in the toilet - was one of two adults along with class instructor Leanne Lucas, present when twisted teen Rudakubana started his attack.
Ms Lucas, 36, was stabbed shielding children while have-a-go-hero Jonathan Hayes, 63, was also stabbed when he raced to the scene from a nearby office after hearing screams. Eight other children were injured in the attack.
Describing how they enjoyed a normal family life before the mindless attack, Alex explained: "In the weekends we would spend time together, we would go to friends' houses, go out for meals.
"We were always happy to be us three, we had everything so what else could we have asked for."
Now Rudakubana is behind bars Alex is focusing her efforts on building a legacy for Alice, with projects to memorialise her which she said she will share in coming weeks and months.
Sarah has been helping care assistant Alex's mental and physical health with free one-on-one fitness sessions at her gym, PWR BOX, in Southport.
Sarah said of Alice - who should have turned 10 in October last year: "I have lots of memories of Alice beaming out of school, telling me lots of stories.
"She was so happy and so funny. Things like parties, the school disco where Alice would have the longest hair."
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Alex continued: "Alice and Briar would do a video call before the disco saying what they were going to wear. They all had to be the same."
Alex and Sergio moved to Southport in 2010 due to Sergio's brother living in the area, settling in Marshside where Alice was raised. Alice enrolled at Churchtown Primary School where "her class was her family" due to her being an only child, Alex explained.
Now Alex sees Southport as home, with no need to return to her native Portugal where much of her family reside.
She added: "Everyone has been incredible, people who don't know us and we're not from here and we've got so much help. People have been very kind, wanting to help us, we didn't expect that. We feel at home and we don't feel like we have to go back."
Sarah, a mum-of-two to Briar and her sister Amora, seven, is set to compete in her third ever boxing match at The Grand in Southport on Saturday, February 22, in Alice's name.
She has launched a JustGiving page where she has already raised ￡2,355 for the grieving couple, with the hope of raising more.
To donate to Sarah's JustGiving page, click https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sarah-radley-buck