Brits 2021: Maya Jama and Sheridan Smith get glammed up as they prepare to hit the red carpet

IT’S one of the biggest nights in the music calendar – and the stars have pulled out all the fashion stops for tonight’s Brit Awards.

Leading the glamour ahead of the red carpet at London’s 02 arena tonight was Maya Jama, who posed in a floral body con backstage.

Instagram

Maya Jama, who posed in a floral body con backstage[/caption]

The stunning presenter wore her hair up in tumbling waves as she prepared to settle in for a night of glitz and glamour.

Meanwhile Sheridan Smith looked seriously chic in all-black as she snapped a selfie on the way to the 02.

The actress was accompanied by her makeup artist Barrie Griffith who had left the star looking stunning.

With COVID causing delays to the show stopping event, which is usually held in February, stars are likely itching to get their glad rags on.

Tonight is the 41st year of the awards, which celebrate the best of British musical talent, and the attendees upped the sartorial stakes this evening.

Instagram

Meanwhile Sheridan Smith looked seriously chic in all-black as she snapped a selfie on the way to the 02[/caption]

While award ceremonies this year such as the Oscars and the Baftas have seen A-list stars appearing remotely, the Brits organisers are bucking the trend and bringing together some of the world’s biggest names — with no social distancing in sight.

Among those big names, Taylor Swift will make history as the first female — and at 31, the youngest artist — to win the Global Icon award, given to stars whose music has made a lasting impact on British culture.

Tonight’s show is part of the Government’s Events Research Programme, which examines the risk of Covid transmission at public events to work out ways to hold them safely — so the Brits may set a precedent for all impending indoor UK music shows.

While on the surface it appears the Brits show has come together seamlessly, there is an army of crew and staff behind the scenes who will help the event come to life.

Safety is a priority for organisers and there will be 500 people on site working just for the O2 Arena, with another 800 backstage to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Instagram

Radio DJ Yasmin Evans proved she needed no filter as she snapped this glam selfie backstage[/caption]

In previous years almost 20,000 people would pack the O2, but this year’s crowd is far more limited.

Of the mere 4,000 tickets available, organisers handed out 2,500 free to key workers who entered a ballot, created on a dedicated website in just five days, with successful entrants getting a ticket for themselves plus one guest.

On the floor, artists and nominees are sitting at far fewer tables, though with the usual free alcohol and snacks.

While nominees are normally surrounded by their assistants and loved ones, this year each one will sit at a table with just one other person, so most tables will be occupied by just two people.

Record labels, sponsors and members of the media make up the remaining guests, seated in suites around the venue.

Yet despite the numbers of attendees being dramatically cut, the Brits will still be the largest gathering inside an arena since the beginning of the pandemic.

Rigorous testing is in place and anyone attending the ceremony has to take an assisted lateral flow test within 36 hours before the bash, and will have to show their negative result, along with ID, to get in.

Everyone attending has also been asked to take a PCR test at home, which is to be posted the same day, with another to be done five days later.

The result of such testing means that once guests are inside the O2, social distancing will be unnecessary and masks will only need to be worn while people are moving within communal areas.

In other celeb news, these are the celeb mums who are rolling back the years to look like their teen daughters.

And these are the stars that have made millions from TOWIE.

Plus this is what the 90s soap heartthrobs look like now.