Taylor Swift has announced that she is cancelling a series of tour dates that were previously postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a candid statement, the 31-year-old star also warned that the “near future” of live performances remains unclear.

Swift had suspended her whole 2020 tour last April – expressing hope that shows in the US and Brazil could be moved to a later date.

But on Friday, she wrote on her website: “I love coming on here to tell you good news, or to share a new project with you. It’s not my favourite thing in the world to have to tell you news I’m sad about. I’m so sorry, but I cannot reschedule the shows that we’ve postponed.

“Although refunds have been available since we first postponed the Lover Fest shows, many of you hung onto your tickets and I too hung onto the idea that we could reschedule.”

She told her fans that “she can’t wait ’til we can safely be at shows together again”, but added: “This is an unprecedented pandemic that has changed everyone’s plans and no one knows what the touring landscape is going to look like in the near future.

“I’m so disappointed that I won’t be able to see you in person as soon as I wanted to.”

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Despite the setback, 2020 wasn’t full of doom and gloom for Swift. She managed to release two albums during lockdown, with both achieving huge commercial success and critical acclaim.

Swift is one of the world’s biggest stars, and the cancellations will undoubtedly come as a blow to the live events industry.

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But there have been some promising developments in recent days, with the organisers announcing that the Reading and Leeds music festivals will be able to go ahead based on the government’s roadmap out of England’s lockdown.

Stormzy, Post Malone and Liam Gallagher are confirmed acts to headline the twin events, which will run on the bank holiday weekend from 27 to 29 August.

A post on Twitter added: “Following the government’s recent announcement, we can’t wait to get back to the fields this summer. LET’S GO.”