Ariana Grande had also recently split from her husband Dalton Gomez. Photo: Ariana Grande/Instagram
When reports emerged that American pop star Ariana Grande had quickly moved on from husband Dalton Gomez to her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, many were surprised – including, it seems, Slater’s wife.
Lilly Jay Slater was “completely blindsided” by the news, reported American publication Page Six. The couple had welcomed their first child, a son, in 2022.
An unnamed source was quoted as saying: “It’s horrible. They were high-school sweethearts. They have a baby. She’s a wreck.”
Other sources reportedly shared that the couple’s split was “sudden” and occurred even though “nothing appeared wrong between them”, with suggestions that the 31-year-old American actor-singer’s new romance with Grande could have perhaps been the cause.
In November 2022, Ethan Slater had posted an anniversary tribute to his wife on Instagram, saying: “My best friend. Four years married, 10 years together. And this is easily the best (and most bizarre) year yet.”
Grande, 30, had left a “like” on the post at the time.
Grande and Slater have been together in London working on the film adaptation of hit musical Wicked since late 2022. Other cast members in the musical movie include Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh.
Grande’s separation from Gomez, a real estate broker, was announced in July, some two years after they married in a private ceremony in California in May 2021.
American publication Us Weekly reported that he was “devastated” by the split, with one source saying: “Truth be told, he’s not over Ariana and would still love to win her back.”
The actress-singer previously dated the late American rapper Mac Miller from 2016 to 2018 and was engaged to American actor-comedian Pete Davidson in 2018.
Davidson’s ex-girlfriend, Cazzie David, said in 2020 that he was revealed to be dating Grande just one day after he dumped her via text message.
In 2013, Grande’s ex-boyfriend Jai Brooks, an Australian YouTuber, accused her of cheating on him with English singer Nathan Sykes of boy band The Wanted. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
