What Ariana Grande has said about her health ahead of ‘much-deserved’ hiatus

Ariana Grande has announced she will step back from public life once she wraps up the Eternal Sunshine Tour, following a period of intense scrutiny.

The 33-year-old star has also pulled out of the upcoming revival of Sunday In The Park With George, which was set to be her West End debut. 

The singer’s representative said yesterday that she plans to ‘take a step back from visibility’ and end the tour ‘healthily and happily’.

The end of The Eternal Sunshine tour will be in London in September, with Grande set to arrive in the UK later this month for a 10-night residency at the O2.

The announcement comes after Grande released the music video for Petal, the title single from her eighth studio album.

The video sees Grande in the waiting room for an audition, alongside other hopefuls clutching scripts, before she performs before a panel of older men.

However, the music video sparked fervent speculation online over Grande’s health, given her frail frame.

What has Ariana Grande said about her health?

Grande has directly addressed the speculation about her appearance several times over the years, as well as in the lyrics of various tracks.

The song Like I Do, from her latest album, includes a possible dig at headlines about her weight: ‘I’ve got s*** to talk, keeps me well fed.’

In her 2024 song, Yes, And?, she also addressed the scrutiny, singing: ‘My face is sitting, I don’t need no disguise. Don’t comment on my body, do not reply. Your business is yours and mine is mine.’

Grande most pointedly responded to comments in a 2023 TikTok video, saying the body everyone compares her to was actually the ‘unhealthiest’ version of herself.

She told fans: ‘There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. I know personally, for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body. 

‘I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly, and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy. That, in fact, wasn’t my healthy.’

The singer implored fans to be ‘gentler and less comfortable’ commenting on people’s bodies.

She added: ‘If you think you’re saying something good or well-intentioned, whatever it is, healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy. We just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much.’

Grande returned to the topic in a 2024 interview to promote Wicked, becoming emotional when asked how she handled the pressure ‘to always look perfect’.

She referred to herself as ‘a specimen in a petri dish’, saying that comments about weight could be ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘horrible’.

She added: ‘I have heard it all. I have heard every form of what is wrong with me. And then you fix it and then it is wrong for different reasons.’

She added: ‘It is hard to protect yourself from that noise. I think that it’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on.’

‘From what you are wearing, to your body, to your face, to your everything – there is a comfortability that people have commenting on that I think is really dangerous. I think it is dangerous for all parties involved.’

Grande shared the interview again in November, ‘as a loving reminder to all’.

Ariana Grande’s full statement from her representative

A representative for Grande told People: ‘Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.

‘She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.

‘This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much.’

Grande in Sunday in the Park with George

Grande was due to reunite with her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George, at the Barbican in 2027.

The show will still go ahead as planned, with Grande’s part set to be recast, production company Empire Street Productions said.

A statement to the Press Association said: ‘Empire Street Productions have said following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park with George.

‘We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support.

‘We wish her nothing but the best. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.’