Ariana Grande has fiercely defended her boyfriend, Ethan Slater, over the intense scrutiny of their relationship.
The We Can’t Be Friends singer left many shocked last year when she was linked to her Wicked co-star, 32, shortly after splitting from husband Dalton Gomez.
The 31-year-old raised eyebrows with the timing of her new romance, which coincided with her beau filing for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay, months after they welcomed a child together.
Although the pair, who were rumored to have moved in together at the end of last year, had not spoken publicly about their bond, Ari appeared to shade the drama in her song, Yes, And?, which contained some very interesting lyrics.
In a new interview, she has now touched on the criticism of their relationship, refuting the perceived timeline of events and sharing her ‘disappointment’ that people rushed to believe the negative speculation.
‘It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,’ she told Vanity Fair. ‘The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it.’
While the Thank U, Next singer vowed that she will ‘never go into certain details’ about their romance, she also insisted that ‘there couldn’t be a less accurate depiction’ of her partner.
‘No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,’ she continued. ‘There is no one on this earth with a better heart.
‘Honestly, it’s taken me a lot of hard work to be able to last this long and to heal certain parts of my relationship to fame and to what I do because of these tabloids that have been trying to destroy me since I was 19 years old.’
Ariana also explained that she wouldn’t ever let the media ‘ruin her life’ or her ‘perception of what is real and good’, adding: ‘I’m 31 years old and I’m not a perfect person, but I am definitely deeply good, and I’m proud of who I’m becoming.’
She first met Ethan on the set of Wicked in December, 2022, with the pair both married to others when filming for the musical adaption began.
However, cracks in her marriage to Dalton began to form and they were unable to save their marriage, going their separate ways last July.
At the same time, Ethan filed for divorce from his wife, Lilly Jay, leading to intense criticism from all corners of the internet.
Amid the confusion, there were conflicting reports which claimed that the Hollywood co-stars were ‘separated when they started dating’.
Lilly, who gave birth to their son in August, 2022, later slammed the situation in scathing public remarks.
‘[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a girl’s girl,’ she told Page Six at the time. ‘My family is just collateral damage.’
She also added to DailyMail.com: ‘I am focused on rebuilding a life for our son and rebuilding a life for him.
‘This is what I am trying to do and this is my only focus.’