News Digest

One Direction in MTV EMA Awards no-show despite triple win

One Direction won in three categories at the 20th MTV Europe Music Awards but failed to turn up for the show in Glasgow. The boy band were named Best Pop Act, Best Live Act and also picked up the prize for Biggest Fans, while Ariana Grande was the night’s other big winner. Although 1D did not attend the EMA show in person, having performed on X Factor earlier in the evening, they recorded a video message to accept the award for their fans.

We’re so sorry we can’t be with you tonight. Thank you so much for this, the award for Biggest Fans. Because of that we obviously, obviously want to thank our incredible fans. We can never thank you all enough.

Harry Styles, 1D

Nicki Minaj hosted the show at the SSE Hydro arena, and also took home the prize for Best Hip-Hop Artist. Katy Perry and Australian group 5 Seconds of Summer each won two awards, while Justin Bieber was named Best Male Artist, but none were on hand to collect their gongs. Other high-profile non-attendees included Beyoncé and Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, who had to pull out due to illness. But Ozzy Osbourne—introduced by guitar hero Slash as a man who “scares the hell out of most people, and all bats”—did appear at the show to accept a Global Icon accolade.