Ariana Grande confirms she’s back with famous ex as singer shares update amid break from showbiz

Ms Grande posted a carousel of images on Wednesday that included what appeared to be the couple in matching white tops, with Mr Alvarez’s hand draped over her shoulder.

The pair first became an item back in 2015 after Mr Alvarez joined Ms Grande’s Honeymoon tour as a backup dancer, though sources say their relationship ended the following year.

Speculation about a romantic reunion had been building throughout the summer, with fans piecing together clues from the singer’s social media activity.

Though their faces were cropped from the photograph in Wednesday’s carousel, the popstar tagged Mr Alvarez in the post, and he reshared it to his own Instagram story.

Ms Grande had previously tagged the dancer and photographer in a Polaroid she shared of herself, further fuelling talk of a reconciliation.

Mr Alvarez was famously mentioned in the singer’s 2018 hit Thank U, Next, in which she sang about having “wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh”.

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However, during a performance earlier this summer on the Eternal Sunshine tour, the singer appeared to swap that line for “We always find our way back”.

The lyrical change did not go unnoticed by fans, who took it as one of the earliest signals that the former couple had reconnected.

Ms Grande had also been dropping hints on social media in the weeks prior to Wednesday’s confirmation.

The relationship reveal comes shortly after Ms Grande disclosed that she intends to withdraw from the spotlight once the Eternal Sunshine tour concludes, amid what her representative described as “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” surrounding the star.

Her team said the singer is looking forward to ending the tour “healthily and happily” before taking a “much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances”.

Ms Grande has faced persistent online commentary surrounding her weight and appearance.

The 33-year-old previously warned of a troubling “comfortability” people have developed around commenting on other people’s bodies, while telling fans during a recent Chicago concert that her decision to retreat from the spotlight came from a “thoughtful and empowered place”.

The move has already affected her upcoming projects, with the singer pulling out of the planned 2027 West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, in which she had been due to star alongside Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.

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Ms Grande’s rekindled romance with Mr Alvarez comes after her split from Wicked co-star Ethan Slater following almost three years together.

The pair met while filming the musical adaptation in the UK in 2023, with Ms Grande starring as Glinda and Mr Slater portraying Boq.

Their relationship attracted intense scrutiny when it became public that July, with both stars still legally married to their respective spouses at the time.

Ms Grande had separated from her husband, Dalton Gomez, earlier that year, while Mr Slater was married to his childhood sweetheart Lilly Jay, with whom he had welcomed a son in 2022.

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Mr Slater filed for divorce shortly after his relationship with Ms Grande became public, prompting widespread speculation about the timeline of their romance.

However, sources close to the couple maintained that Ms Grande and Mr Slater did not begin dating until after both had separated from their spouses.

Ms Jay later addressed the painful impact of her divorce and the accompanying public attention in a deeply personal essay for The Cut in December 2024.

Ms Grande and Mr Slater remained together throughout the subsequent Wicked publicity campaign but quietly called time on their relationship earlier this year.

Their split was confirmed in June, with sources describing the breakup as amicable and revealing the pair had actually gone their separate ways several months earlier.