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American singer-songwriter and Oscar-nominated actress Ariana Grande will “take a step back from visibility” after her ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour, and has withdrawn from her planned West End debut.
Grande, 33, is wrapping up the North American leg of her tour and will begin a 10-date residency at London’s O2 Arena later this month. Her representative has confirmed that she will take a break from public appearances after these shows, which end on 1 September.
“Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour,” the rep told People. “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.”
People also quoted a source close to Grande, who emphasised that she was in good health. “She performs a very physical show, and there is a lot of athleticism involved,” they said. “She performs healthily and successfully at a very high level night after night.”
This step back means that Grande will no longer be part of the upcoming West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s critically acclaimed 1984 musical Sunday In The Park With George, which she was due to star in alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey. The London show, inspired by the Georges Seurat painting “A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte”, was set to open next year.
The decision to take a break comes after renewed public commentary surrounding Grande’s body and appearance – commentary which intensified online after she recently released the video for ‘Petal’ (see above), the title track from her new album which was released last Friday (31 July).
Grande has previously spoken out about having people comment on her physical appearance and health, and has also been open about her mental health following the Manchester Arena attack at her concert in May 2017 when a suicide bomber killed 22 people.
Ariana Grande concludes the US leg of her tour on 6 August and heads to her London residency at the O2 Arena on 15 August. The sold out shows conclude on 1 September.