Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater’s romance has caused quite the raucous in the media, but it seems that Slater’s wife, Lilly Jay, knew about it beforehand.
According to a source cited by Us Weekly, “Ethan sat Lilly down a few days before the news broke about him and Ariana and said that he wanted a divorce. Lilly never saw it coming.”
However, a source close to the Grammy-winning musician denied that ever happened.
Another insider stated that Grande and Slater were both “separated” from their partners when they started dating and “the relationship is recent.”
“It’s understandable that it’s difficult to see an ex move on, especially in such a public way, and they are trying to be as respectful as possible,” insider had told the outlet.
The news of Slater and Grande’s romance emerged soon after sources confirmed that the Bang Bang singer, 30, split from her husband of two years, Dalton Gomez.
Grande and Slater are co-stars in the upcoming movie, Wicked, which is currently being filmed in London.
The Thank U, Next singer plays Glinda the Good Witch and Slater, 31, takes on the role of Boq, a Munchkin who becomes the Tin Man. The two connected on the set and were reportedly not careful about hiding their affections for one another.
According to the source, the two were not shy in front of their Wicked cast and crew. “Ariana and Ethan weren’t careful,” the insider said. “They’d hold hands on set in between takes. They were sloppy and not hiding it.”
Slater is still legally married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay, and they welcomed a baby boy just last year.
