The world learned on Monday that Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez‘s romance was no more, but TMZ reports that the couple was “shocked” that no one knew about the split since the two had separated at the start of the year. The publication also reports that Dalton, 27, has already moved on past Ariana, 30, and that he’s been “dating over the last few months.” Before anyone starts to throw shade at Ariana’s soon-to-be ex, TMZ also adds that this dating decision “was fine with Ariana.”
Apparently, Ariana and Dalton discovered that they were two completely different people in a post-COVID world. The two are believed to have started dating in early 2020, right before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world. While quarantined together, Ariana and Dalton lived as a married couple, sharing their company and support and appearing together in Ariana’s “Stuck with U” music video. The couple wed in secret in May 2021, but more than a year later, it all fell apart.
When COVID restrictions were lifted, TMZ reported that Dalton – a Los Angeles-based realtor – wasn’t ready for Grande’s level of fame (and the kind of lifestyle that came with it.) However, he wasn’t willing to let it go without a fight and reportedly flew out to London in January to meet with Ariana to save their marriage. The “Dangerous Woman” singer has been living in the U.K. while filming the cinematic adaptation of Wicked. After Dalton and Ariana spoke, it “didn’t work out,” and they “came to the decision together” that it was time to call it quits.
TMZ reports that the couple attempted to repair the marriage in May, but those efforts fizzled out. Despite the end of the marriage, Ariana and Dalton have stayed “really good friends” throughout the separation. The two are reportedly set on divorce, and it’s a matter of time before they finalize the breakup.
Ariana started the split speculation when she attended Wimbledon without her wedding ring on July 16. She sat next to Andrew Garfield and her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey for the tennis event, with her husband nowhere to be found. The couple usually kept their romance out of the public eye, except for some rare outings, but the lack of a wedding ring hinted that there was definitely trouble in paradise.