Friends feel ‘blindsided’ by Ariana Grande amid ongoing concerns surrounding her health

Friends of Ariana Grande are said to be feeling “blindsided” by her recent split from Ethan Slater, as there are ongoing concerns about her health.

This week, it was reported that Ariana and Ethan had broken up after three years, but in fact the couple had been quietly separated for months. It’s since been claimed Ariana’s close circle were completely “blindsided” by this, and had no idea the breakup had happened.

A source told The Sun: “Some artists have Zoom calls with their wider teams almost weekly to keep everyone across what is happening in their lives, in case stories break. But with Ariana, it’s all on a need-to-know basis.

“She fully understands the interest in her life and openly channels her personal experiences into her music and art, but at the same time, she has no desire to give a running commentary about what goes on off-stage.

“Her break-up with Ethan is a prime example of that. Many of her wider team thought they were still together until the news broke. There has been no big ‘gotcha’ moment; things have simply run their course.”

As this was happening, the internet took to discussing Ariana’s health, as she kicked off her eternal sunshine tour. Pictures and videos from gigs went viral, with people commenting on her body. This isn’t the first time this has happened to Ariana, and it’s been said that her friends and family are concerned, too.

via Rob Latour/Shutterstock

“People who know her well and care deeply are anxious that she might have taken on too much,” a source told Daily Mail.

“The fact that she’s been involved with almost every aspect of the tour is a heavy task in itself. She’s a total perfectionist and everything has to go right, night after night. That’s a huge ordeal she’s putting herself through for three months. The fact the tour could take its toll on her is definitely stressful.”

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On her health specifically, the sources said friends and family are “keeping an eye on things” and hope she will adopt a “healthier overall lifestyle and routine.”

Ariana has addressed the concern herself. Speaking on TikTok in 2023, she said: “I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be paid such close attention to.

“The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly, and at the lowest point of my life, when I looked the way you consider me healthy.

“But that in fact wasn’t my healthy. You never know what someone is going through, so be gentle with each other.”

Speaking to The Sun, someone who met Ariana at last year’s BAFTAs described what she was like in person, at the time. They said she seemed “overwhelmed and shy”, but was happy to take a photo – despite her security trying to move her on.

“Ariana clearly hasn’t let the industry jade her,” they noted. “Ari has endured more in the last few years than most of us will in a lifetime… After everything she’s been through, the fact that she even wants to perform is remarkable. At the very least, she deserves kindness.”

Speaking to the Sun, fashion designer and singer Laura Marshall further said: “Often changes in body image aren’t surface-level; they are the side effects of a deeper pain that manifests in control. Being questioned in this way makes it so much worse. Speculating doesn’t help. Judging doesn’t help. Showing kindness and compassion is the only way to handle it.”

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