GET READY FOR SWIFTMANIA!

The long wait is almost over for a legion of Taylor Swift fans, as her record-breaking Eras Tour reaches the UK

- EVE MACDONALD AND ALISON PERRY

Taylor Swift mania is approaching fever pitch as the Shake It Off singer prepares to kick off the UK leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour.

In recent weeks, Taylor, 34, has stormed the stage in Paris, Stockholm, Lisbon, Madrid and Lyon. And she is now ready to cast her magic in Edinburgh this Friday, performing her first UK gig since her Reputation Tour in 2018.

This isn't any ordinary concert. The Eras Tour set lasts a whopping three hours and 15 minutes - by far the longest of Taylor's career - as the award-winning megastar performs between 44 and 46 songs, grouped into 10 acts, representing each "musical era" of her discography.

But just how does Taylor keep up the momentum? "The Eras Tour, I don't know how she does it. It goes on for, like, 15 hours," Michael Cragg, author of Reach For The Stars: Fame, Fallout And Pop's Final Party exclusively tells OK!.

"She has an incredible back catalogue.

She has released more albums even in the last few years than most artists have released across a 10-year period. So you know you're going to hear at least 25 of your favourite Taylor Swift songs." Taylor's fans, known as "Swifties", are undoubtedly the driving force behind her unwavering success. With 11 studio albums and 14 Grammy Awards under her belt, it's no surprise that her followers snapped up all of the tickets in less than 15 minutes for some shows.

But no matter how grand her trailblazing success is, Taylor keeps her followers at heart every step of the way.

"I have the fans to thank essentially for my happiness," she has gushed. "I love you more than I can say. I cannot express how unbelievable it is to me that I still get to do this. And that you still care." Michael says that even when she performs to huge crowds of 96,000 fans, Taylor still manages to make a huge stadium show feel intimate.