Taylor Swift‘s dad has escaped charges after an Australian photographer accused him of punching him in the face following the superstar’s final show in Sydney.
Swift had performed her last Aussie show of The Eras Tour when the alleged incident occurred in the early hours of February 27.
She and her father, Scott Swift, 71, had travelled from Homebush on a luxury yacht to the ferry wharf in Neutral Bay where Scott was then accused of punching waiting photographer Ben McDonald, 51.
An investigation into the alleged incident was launched by the North Shore Police Command.
NSW Police have since confirmed to Daily Mail Australia no further action was taken over the incident.
Taylor Swift and her father, Scott Swift, 71, had travelled from Homebush on a luxury yacht to the ferry wharf in Neutral Bay where Scott was then accused of punching photographer Ben McDonald, 51, in the face
At the time, a spokeswoman for Taylor Swift told Daily Mail Australia the photographers were being ‘aggressive’.
‘Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water,’ she said.
However, Mr McDonald – the chief executive of Matrix Media Group – slammed the statement as ‘utter rubbish’ and said the only female at the scene was Taylor.
Mr McDonald said: ‘This is the sort of bulls**t I might expect.’
‘Which female was that? The only one there was Taylor.’
The alleged incident occurred after Swift’s final show in Australia for The Eras Tour
Footage from the moments before the alleged altercation showed Scott walking up the wharf while giving photographers the middle finger.
Mr McDonald said the alleged altercation was caught on camera and did not show the photographers acting aggressively.
He originally thought it was a security guard and was shocked when he realised the alleged attacker was the pop star’s dad.
Mr McDonald also said he didn’t know what triggered the alleged assault.
‘In 23 years of taking pictures, I have never seen anything like it,’ he said.
Matrix Media photographer Ben McDonald (pictured) was allegedly struck in the face by Taylor Swift’s father, Scott
‘She got off the boat, she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces.’
Footage of the alleged incident showed Taylor and her father walking up from the wharf with large umbrellas blocking the view.
Mr McDonald started shooting when a security guard could be heard telling him not to touch the umbrella.
The photographer did not require medical attention but said he was left with ‘very sore chops’ on the left side of his face.
Scott has been a fixture by his daughter’s side throughout her sold-out Eras Tour.
He has been praised for handing out sandwiches to fans in the middle of a Sydney show, saying ‘help yourselves’.
The day before Taylor’s first show in Melbourne last month, extra tickets were released but most had a restricted view of the stage.
Scott walked around handing out VIP passes so excited fans would have access to better seats.
Secrets of Taylor Swift’s incredible figure revealed as she shows off her toned physique on Bahamas getaway with Travis Kelce
From singing her way through cardio sessions to completing giving up alcohol, Taylor Swift has worked hard to make sure she’s fighting fit for her ongoing Eras Tour.
The pop star, 34, is currently taking a break from the international leg of her sold-out tour and has been pictured enjoying a romantic getaway with boyfriend Travis Kelce in the Bahamas.
The 13-time Grammy Award winner showed off her toned figure as she donned a stylish yellow bikini on the beach.
The Blank Space singer swept her long blonde hair into a high ponytail and was seen frolicking in the sea with Travis before lounging on the sand.
The artist has previously spoken about the great lengths she’s gone to in her fitness regime to ensure she is always able perform her three-and-a-half hour shows, which often fall on consecutive nights.
Pictured: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce put on a loved up display in the Bahamas earlier this month
By the time her Eras tour wraps up in Vancouver this December, Taylor will have visited five continents and performed 152 shows.
Here FEMAIL delves into Taylor Swift’s fitness secrets – from weight training to her intensive dance routines.
Singing on treadmills
In December 2023, Taylor Swift beat King Charles and Vladimr Putin to be named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year – after Eras Tour earned her billionaire status.
In the accompanying interview, the star revealed that she knew ahead of the worldwide tour that is would be ‘harder than anything [she’d] ever done before’ and began training six months in advance.
As such, the star and her trainers decided to up her cardio to increase Taylor’s overall fitness level.
She told the publication: ‘Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud.
‘Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs.’
Pictured: Taylor Swift on stage in Singapore. By the time her Eras tour wraps up in Vancouver this December, Taylor will have visited five continents and performed 152 shows
Pictured: Taylor Swift seen singing on a treadmill in her Apple Music advert, which was released in April 2016
Taylor Swift dramatically hurtles off treadmill in Apple promo
Taylor has previously opened up about enjoying running and listening to upbeat music.
She told WebMD in 2010: ‘For me, running is about blasting a whole bunch of new songs and running to the beat. It’s also good because it makes me find a gym wherever I am.’
If her Apple Music advert from 2016 is to be believed, this has long been part of Taylor’s workouts.
In April 2016, Taylor famously starred in an advert for Apple Music where she fell off a treadmill after happily singing along to her playlist.
Taylor, who was 26 at the time and dressed in workout gear and a full face of makeup for the advertisement, first complains in a voiceover: ‘Man I hate cardio.’
She then uses her fancy iPhone to pick out the perfect workout song – following its suggestions and choosing Jumpman by Drake And Future.
After enthusiastically singing along to a song, Taylor appears to hit the moving belt of the treadmill before being thrown off the machine – which the star claimed has happened to her in real life too.
Taylor posted the video on Instagram herself, tagging it: ‘Based on true events. #TAYLORvsTREADMILL’.
Three months of dance training
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Pictured: Taylor dancing during the Eras Tour. The star started training six months ahead of the tour
Elsewhere in her interview with Time, Taylor revealed that she underwent three months of intensive dance training for the Eras Tour.
She explained: ‘I wanted to get it in my bones. I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.’
Although the star admitted that choreography was not her ‘strong suit’, Taylor said that Mandy Moore ‘completely changed her relationship’ with dancing.
Speaking to Dance Dish, Mandy explained how she spent 10 days in Phoenix with Taylor ahead of the first show where they ‘blocked’ out the performances.
Discussing the difficulties they faced, the choreographer explained: ‘In three days, we barely got through the 46 numbers and it’s also a video floor so there was no way to have marks […]
‘[Taylor’s] a superstar. She works her tail off, she’s not afraid to get notes if she messes up.’
What’s more, the tour’s choreography has proved so popular that fans have started learning it for shows.
Weight training
Pictured: Taylor Swift seen leaving a gym in New York in September 2016. The star has previously spoken about how she likes running to fast-paced music
In recent years, Taylor Swift has been spotted leaving Body by Simone – a gym which was founded by Australian personal trainer Simone De La Rue.
The gym endorses the ‘BBS’ [Body by Simone] method, which is a mixture of high-intensity dancing and weight training.
In May 2019, the singer was also pictured taking part in a late night gym session in West Hollywood while she was working on her Lover album.
The songstress showed off her long legs in a pair of black shorts as she hit the weights with trainers at The Dogpound.
In her interview with Time, Taylor revealed that she also has to factor in workouts on days when she’s not performing too.’
Explaining how exercise has become a key part of her routine, she added: ‘I know I’m going on that stage whether I’m sick, injured, heartbroken, uncomfortable, or stressed.
‘That’s part of my identity as a human being now. If someone buys a ticket to my show, I’m going to play it unless we have some sort of force majeure.’
Giving up alcohol
Taylor Swift seen holding fans with boyfriend Travis Kelce following a lunch date in LA after their Bahamas trip
What’s more, Taylor’s trim figure is also partially due to her giving up alcohol.
In her Time interview, the star revealed she doesn’t like to drink during the tour’s busiest periods.
She added: ‘Doing that show with a hangover—I don’t want to know that world.
‘I was really disciplined about drinking.’
However, Taylor did make an exception at the Grammys in February – where she scooped up her fourth Album of the Year award.
In the Bahamas, Taylor and Travis were seen splashing around in the turquoise waters together and laying on the sand working on their tans.
At one point, the pop star planted a sweet kiss on her boyfriend’s lips and at another, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end lovingly wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Pictured: Taylor Swift seen embracing Travis Kelce after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Superbowl
It seemed like they spent the day on a private area of the beach as no other tourists were spotted around them.
After lounging on the sand, the couple made their way into the water while holding hands.
The two stars giggled together as they cooled off in the sea, and at one point, Taylor excitedly opened her mouth in response to something Travis told her.
During the first few months of their romance, Taylor and Travis spent much of their time jetting off to see one another amid their busy schedules.
But things have slowed down for them as of late, with her latest leg of the Cruel Summer songstress’ Eras Tour ending in early March and the athlete’s football season coming to an end last month.
After a wild six months filled with busy schedules, constant traveling, and cameras surrounding their every move, it was said that the pair were planning to ‘play house’ inside her $25 million Beverly Hills mansion.
‘They are enjoying movie nights in her home theater, catching up on films and shows they’ve missed,’ an insider told Us Weekly earlier this month.
‘They can finally rest and intend on spending quality time together and with friends and family.
‘This is the first time the two of them have had no commitments and they are both really looking forward to being a normal couple and playing house.’