Ariana Grande is spending time with her girlfriends after news of her separation from Dalton Gomez became public.
A day after a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Grande, 30, and Gomez, 27, separated earlier this year and “have been quietly and lovingly working on their friendship,” the pop star was seen shopping in London with her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo in photos obtained by the Daily Mail.
The singer wore a casual pink outfit and continued to be without her wedding ring. Grande was first spotted without her engagement ring and wedding band over the weekend while enjoying a day at Wimbledon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuzXhD_siVs/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f481339b-3a0d-4679-a132-ca5fdff720da
She shared multiple photos from the outing on Instagram that included selfies and snaps with her fellow Wicked costar Jonathan Bailey, and videos from the event’s matches. Grande was also previously seen without her wedding ring in a TikTok makeup tutorial in August but immediately denied rumors of there being issues in her marriage.
“I’m just not wearing my wedding ring, it’s getting cleaned. I’m not getting a divorce before you start, don’t,” she said at the time.
The former couple began dating in January 2020 and announced their engagement 11 months later. Gomez gushed about Grande in his Instagram Story on Valentine’s Day by sharing a selfie of the two cozying up to one another in a lush outdoor walkway. He wrote atop the picture, “My forever valentine,” while Grande reshared it and added, “I love you” with a heart.
As to what led to their separation, a source told PEOPLE exclusively on Monday that distance seemed to cause issues between the two as Grande has been away from California while filming Wicked.
“She was happy in Los Angeles for a couple of years. She wanted to make a life there with Dalton,” they said.
“He is super focused on his career and needs to live in Los Angeles,” the insider added, noting Gomez’s job as a luxury real estate agent. “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.”
Though the relationship eventually “didn’t work,” the insider said: “Ari has nothing but kind words to say about Dalton. During their marriage, he was her No. 1 fan.”
[via]
