Speaking to Page Six, a source has claimed Slater – who has been married to his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay since 2018 and recently welcomed their first child together – has left his wife heartbroken.
Ethan Slater gushed over the mother of his child and partner of 10 years, Lilly Jay just two months ago. Photo / Instagram
“It’s horrible. They were high school sweethearts. They have a baby! She’s a wreck,” the source said before going on to claim many close friends believe Grande, 30, is the reason the former couple who recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary “suddenly break up now, when nothing appeared wrong between them.”
Slater, 31 recently shared a heartwarming post about his wife two months ago celebrating Mother’s Day. Along with a photo of their son’s hands, he wrote, “Happy first Mother’s Day to the most loving caring and wonderful mum/person in the world.”
Slater and Grande met while filming the upcoming adaption of Wicked in London with insiders telling People magazine that the two only recently began dating.
Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater smile in a photo shared by Michelle Yeoh in March. Photo / Instagram
It comes after reports the Dangerous Woman singer separated from her husband, 27, earlier this year after nearly two years of marriage. An insider toldPeople that the pair “have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship” since.
A source revealed that Grande’s work on the Wicked film in London was partially the reason for the split. Navigating a long-distance relationship put strain on the couple’s marriage, particularly because Gomez is based full-time in Los Angeles as a real estate agent.
“She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton,” the insider said.
“He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles. It’s definitely been an issue for them. Dalton’s career is demanding and he can’t leave Los Angeles often. So when [Grande] started filming Wicked in England, they were in for a long-distance marriage.”
Dalton Gomez and Ariana Grande separated after almost two years together. Photo / Ariana Grande via Instagram
While their marriage eventually “didn’t work”, the source insisted that “Ari has nothing but kind words to say about Dalton. During their marriage, he was her No 1 fan.”
Grande and Slater are yet to confirm their new relationship and representatives for the pair have no responded to the multiple requests for comment.
Grande is set to play Glinda in the upcoming Universal film adaptation of the iconic Broadway musical, while Slater, 31, will play Boq, who falls in love with Elphaba’s sister Nessarose.
The film started production last year in the UK and is set to his screens in November 2024, however it is not known whether the SAG-AFTRA strike will affect its premiere date.
