Taylor Swift presented the breakthrough prize at a major country music awards show – 13 years after she won the honour.

The pop superstar was recognised at the CMT Music Awards in 2007 for her song Tim McGraw.

She made a virtual appearance during the 2020 ceremony to present the breakthrough video award, which was won by 20-year-old singer Gabby Barrett for I Hope.

Swift, who cancelled all live appearances and performances in 2020 due to the pandemic, wore bright red lipstick for the CMT Awards and said: “I was honoured to win this award 13 years ago because it’s voted on by the fans.

“The CMT breakthrough video of the year shines a light on a brand-new artist and I can’t wait to see who you’ve chosen this year.”

Swift began her career in country music but has since become one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.

Accepting her CMT prize as a fresh-faced 17-year-old, she said:  “I can’t even believe that this is real. This is definitely the highlight of my senior year.”

Elsewhere during the latest CMT Awards, which were held in Nashville, Tennessee, Carrie Underwood took home the top prize of the night, winning video of the year for her song Drinking Alone.

Other winners at the fan-voted show included couple Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton for collaborative video of the year, Dan + Shay for duo video of the year and Luke Bryan for male video of the year.