Selena Gomez teared up as she spoke about the impact of Hurricane Harvey in her home state of Texas.
The 25-year-old singer joined the likes of George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Justin Bieber in supporting the ‘Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey’ telethon and Selena became especially emotional as she spoke about the Saldivar family, who lost four children and two great-grandparents in the disaster.
She said: "Their story affected all who heard it and no matter who we are, the differences we have, suddenly did not seem to matter.
"Since that day, we have joined together. Neighbour helping neighbour, without stopping to think about race, religion and anything else."
Selena also underlined the need for communities to pull together during such difficult moments.
The star explained: "If we are going to get through all the storms that confront us, that’s how we’re going to do it together, hand in hand."
The star-studded telethon raised more than $15 million for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma relief, and Matthew McConaughey was among the big-name actors who lent his support to the effort.
The award-winning star urged TV viewers to give anything they could afford to help the victims of the disaster.
He said: "We can’t give back what they lost, but we can help them know where to take the next step.
"We cannot get tired doing good work … I say to those people in need, do not give up hope!"
Meanwhile, music legend Stevie Wonder opened the telethon with a cover of Bill Withers’ ‘Lean on Me’.
And after his performance, Stevie said: "We’ve come together today to love on the people that have been devastated by the hurricanes.
"When love goes into action, it preferences no colour of skin, no ethnicity, no religious beliefs, no sexual preferences, and no political persuasions. It just loves."
Selena Gomez tears up during Hurricane Harvey telethon
