Wife of Ariana Grande’s new lover blasts singer as she breaks silence on split

Lilly Jay says family are ‘collateral’ damage after split from Ethan Slater
Getty
Daniel Keane27 July 2023
The Weekender

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Ethan Slater’s wife has hit out at Ariana Grande amid reports of an on-set romance between the singer and her Wicked co-star.

Lilly Jay is reported to have said that her family was “collateral damage” after news of her husband’s relationship with the singer broke last week.

She has since struck up a new relationship with stage actor Slater, who plays Boq in the film adaption of the musical, started during filming, according to US website TMZ.

Ethan Slater (L) with wife Lilly Jay
Getty Images for The Langham, Ne

Breaking her silence on the news of their relationship, Jayis reported to have told Page Six: “[Ariana’s] the story really. Not a girl’s girl.

“My family is just collateral damage.”

The musician told the newspaper that she was focused on being “a good mum” to her and Slater’s child.

A separate source told Page Six that Jay was “rightfully upset because her marriage fell apart, but Ariana and Ethan didn’t do anything wrong”.

They claimed that Slater had been separated from Jay for two months before beginning a relationship with Grande, although a different source has denied that and said Grande and Slater began an affair in the spring.

Speaking to MailOnline, Jay said that she was “focused on rebuilding a life for her son as a single mother” after her split with Slater.

“This is what I am trying to do and this is my only focus.”

Neither Grande or Slater have commented on the recent reports.

Grande and Gomez began dating in January 2020 and got engaged 11 months later.

They married in an intimate ceremony at Grande’s home in Montecito, California in May 2021.

Slater has been married to his wife, Lilly Jay, since 2018. They had a child together last year.

He reportedly filed for divorce from Jay in a New York court on Wednesday.

Grande first sparked speculation that her marriage was in trouble when she was seen without her wedding ring at Wimbledon while watching the men’s final and then again in Bond Street where she was seen shopping with Erivo.

Production on Wicked has been halted due to the US actors’ strike.

The film, largely made on location in the UK, is expected to come out in cinemas next December.

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