SHE’S the star of the new blockbuster Wicked movies based on the hit musical, but now Ariana Grande has been slammed for being “wicked” in real-life.
The soon-to-be-divorced wife of the co-star Ariana is now dating has blasted the singer, saying her family has been ripped apart — and puts the blame squarely at 30-year-old Ariana’s door, raging: “She’s not a girl’s girl.”
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The Thank U, Next singer has been accused of home-wrecking after she started a new romance with West End star Ethan Slater just 11 months after his baby was born.
The pair reportedly fell for each other when they were filming Wicked in London, which has been in production since April.
And scorned mum Lilly Jay told US website Page Six: “My family is just collateral damage.”
It’s understood American Ethan had already parted with singer Lilly but sources say she feels “blindsided” and “betrayed” by the relationship after Ariana spent time with them as a couple and their baby Ezra.
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There are claims that Ariana told friends how much she “wanted a baby one day” after bonding with Lilly and Ethan’s son.
She even “liked” an Instagram Mother’s Day tribute to Lilly from her husband.
Ethan, a Tony-nominated actor best known for playing Spongebob Squarepants on Broadway, has now filed for divorce.
Devastated Lilly is said to be touting her side of the story to US news outlets.
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‘Two sides to every story’
A source close to Lilly, 31, told one website how the three enjoyed dinners together in London every time she flew over from the States to visit her husband on set.
The insider said: “Lilly hung out with Ethan and Ariana so many times. Ariana met their baby and even held him.
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“They had dinners in London and Ariana told Lilly she wanted to have a baby one day and that she couldn’t wait to start a family.”
The source claimed Lilly discovered her husband had been having an affair with the singer, but they made a decision to “try to put it behind them” and work on their marriage.
But now Ariana and Ethan are together full-time and Wicked movie insiders say they have been spotted openly holding hands on set.
To make things even more complicated, Ariana’s ex-husband Dalton Gomez is said to have flown to London some time in the past couple of months in a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage, which broke down in January.
The former Nickelodeon star married estate agent Dalton, 27, after they moved in together during the 2020 Covid lockdown.
They got engaged the same year and tied the knot in May 2021 in an intimate ceremony at their home in Montecito, California.
Ariana’s merry-go-round love life has been plagued by disaster after a series of whirlwind romances and devastating break-ups with high-profile men including rapper Big Sean, comedian Pete Davidson and Nathan Sykes of Brit boy band The Wanted.
The Rain On Me hit-maker was left devastated by the death of her ex, rapper Mac Miller, who suffered a drug overdose in September 2018.
His death came 16 months after she was left traumatised when suicide bomber Salman Abedi set off a device which killed 22 during her Manchester Arena concert in May 2017.
Ariana, who has been in the public eye from the age of 15, has been publicly slated on Twitter, with posters accusing her of being a “marriage wrecker” and “terrible person.”
But brand and culture expert Nick Ede, who runs a London PR agency, said the hint of scandal will not put off her supporters.
He said: “Ariana has a very loyal fan base who view her as a woman looking for love but never finding happiness as it slips through her fingers.
“I don’t think that will change because her fans are used to her romantic ups and downs.
“Ariana has grown up in front of our eyes and is working on a film that’s very, very intense.
“Her role in Wicked is massive and there’s already huge scrutiny even though it’s not out until next year.
“You can be adored by a worldwide audience but still feel lonely.
“She was probably looking for someone to love. There’s two sides to every story.
“I think some of her problem is that everyone still sees Ariana as this child who was on kids’ TV but she’s a grown-up woman.
“Relationships are consenting on both sides and there’s always two sides to every story.”
Songwriter Ariana’s first public relationship was with Australian YouTuber Jai Brooks in August 2012 but they split a year later after he accused her of cheating with Nathan Sykes.
Jai took to Twitter to write: “Yes I was cheated on. Yes it does suck. Yes I was left for another man.”
Ariana soon fired back saying she “wasn’t surprised” by the accusation, adding: “You said to me if I didn’t come back to you, you’d make me look bad to the entire world.”
The relationship with Nathan, now 30, only lasted three months before Ariana and Jai were back in each other’s arms before splitting for good in May 2014.
‘Rebuilding a life’
Her next romance was with rapper Big Sean, who she called “one of the most amazing men in the whole world” in 2014.
But their affair was rocked by accusations of past cheating after Sean’s former fiancée, Glee star Naya Rivera, claimed in a memoir that she had found Ariana at their home while the couple were still engaged.
Three months after that relationship came to a close in April 2015, Ariana dated her backing dancer Ricky Alvarez for a year before falling for Mac Miller when they collaborated on her single The Way.
They broke up in May 2018 and Ariana hooked up with Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson who proposed to her within weeks of meeting.
But when Mac died later that year of a drug overdose Davidson said he “pretty much knew it was over” with Ariana.
He later said: “I was like, ‘Listen, I get it — do whatever you gotta do, I’ll be here’.
“I think I said, ‘I’ll be here until you don’t want me to be here.
“I pretty much knew it was over after that. That was really horrible. I can’t imagine what that s**t is like.
“That s**t is just terrible.
“All I know is that she really loved the s**t out of him and she wasn’t putting on a show or anything.”
The 7 Rings singer thought she had found her happy-ever-after with Los Angeles estate agent Dalton Gomez.
After dating for less than a year through the pandemic, she took to Instagram to show off her diamond and pearl engagement ring, posting: “forever ’n’ then some”.
The couple reportedly split in January this year and Ariana was recently spotted at Wimbledon’s Centre Court without her wedding ring.
Sources said the pair felt the strain of being apart during the filming of Wicked, in which she plays Glinda The Good Witch.
Fans also expressed concerns over Ariana’s thin frame, prompting her to tell them on TikTok: “There are many different kinds of beautiful.”
New boyfriend Ethan, who married teenage sweetheart Lilly in 2018, has so far stayed quiet about the split.
After news of the relationship broke, he set his Instagram account to private.
In March he paid tribute to his wife on Mother’s Day, calling her “the most loving, caring and wonderful mom/person in the world.”
Ariana “liked” the Instagram post.
Now Lilly faces life bringing up their baby as a single mother.
She said: “I am focused on rebuilding a life for our son.
“This is what I’m trying to do. This is my only focus.
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“The story is about her (Ariana) and Dalton. She’s not a girl’s girl.
“My family is just collateral damage.”
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