THE RUNDOWN
- Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez are dating again, People and TMZ report.
- A source detailed their new dynamic to People and why they are taking things slowly.
- Grande and Alvarez first dated from 2015 to 2016 and remained friends after their breakup.
Ariana Grande hinted that she and ex Ricky Alvarez were dating again during her Brooklyn Eternal Sunshine Tour show last night. Now, sources have confirmed to People and TMZ that the pair really is back on.
A source told People that they are “taking things very slowly,” adding, “They’re not jumping into anything serious right away, but Ari is happy to have him back in her life.”
Grande and Alvarez, who was a former backup dancer for the singer, first dated from 2015 to 2016. They have remained on good terms in the years since.
“Ariana has always considered Ricky a friend,” the insider explained. “She’s not held ill will against him [since their split in 2016]. Ricky is dependable, trustworthy and very supportive. Ariana feels she can be herself around Ricky.”
She also enjoys how “funny” Alvarez is, the source shared. “They have a similar, smart, dry sense of humor.”
Last night, Grande seemingly revealed their rekindled relationship herself when she changed the lyric about Alvarez in “Thank U, Next” from “Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh,” to “Wrote some songs about Ricky / We always find our way back.”
Grande has been quietly single for months. In June, People revealed that she and Wicked actor Ethan Slater had split “several months ago.”
“It’s amicable; they gave lots of time and careful consideration and decided to go their separate ways,” a source explained then. “They are still friends and very supportive of one another. They have been quietly broken up for several months.”
Grande and Alvarez were first spotted spending time together in June. On July 7, a source told People that Grande and Alvarez were really close.
“Ricky has always been a friend and confidant,” the source said. “She really trusts him. He has such great, positive energy, makes her laugh and she enjoys spending time with him.”
The insider added that Grande was “doing really well” following her split from Slater.
“Her relationship with Ethan is 100 percent over. She’s focused on her tour and spending time with the people who have always been there for her,” the source said. “Ariana is having the best time reconnecting with fans and loves being onstage.”
