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Their infrequent public sightings last year sparked speculation Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater were headed towards a split.
Now, an insider close to Grande's family has shed light on the troubles the couple faced last year - revealing they are now in a much better place after hitting a 'rough patch.'
While Grande, 32, and Slater, 33, never actually called things off, the source claims there was a moment when it was was unclear if their relationship would survive the storm.
'Ariana and Ethan hit a rough patch towards the end of last year,' the source exclusively told the Daily Mail. 'They never broke up, but it was questionable at a point if they were going to continue moving forward.
'They've really spent time working on their relationship and are in a much better place. It's been hard for them with the way their relationship began and they've had a lot to work through, but they seem to really, truly love each other.
'That's a huge reason why Ethan was at a lot of Ariana's Saturday Night Live duties. They also spent the holidays together with her family. Things are strong between them again now.'
Slater sparked speculation about their relationship when he sidestepped a question about his girlfriend during an interview; pictured 2025
The source also shared insight into one of the attributes that initially drew Grande to Slater, revealing that the pop star tends to go for men who she knows she's better looking than.
The source added that 'Ariana likes to date guys she knows she's better looking than' and above. 'It's due to her own insecurities,' they added.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Grande for comment.
The co-stars famously met in late 2022, when filming began in the UK for the two-part movie musical Wicked directed by John M. Chu.
At the time, however, both Slater and Grande were in relationships with their respective spouses.
Grande separated from her then-husband Dalton Gomez in February 2023 after two years of marriage, according to court documents. Meanwhile, Slater filed for divorce from his ex-wife Lilly Jay in July 2023, just days after news broke of his relationship with Grande. Slater and Jay also share a three-year-old son.
Last year, Slater and Grande were trailed by breakup speculation, as they were not seen together from April until November 2025 for Wicked promotions.
They appeared to quash the conjecture by posing side by side in cast group shots at the New York City premiere of Wicked: For Good.
In September, he also gushed about Grande's fans after some struggled to obtain tickets to her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
'Ari's fans are unbelievable and incredible and ferocious in their support of her - and it's a beautiful thing,' he told People. 'And I really hope that there are other opportunities to see her perform,' he said.
However, Slater kicked up another dustcloud of rumors by uncomfortably dodging a question about his relationship with Grande on the Today show in November.
When he was asked about the experience of 'working with your girlfriend every day,' Slater sidestepped the subject and instead spoke in vague terms about how 'incredible' the 'entire cast' of his movie is.
Slater did call Grande 'brilliant' but also hailed her co-star Cynthia Erivo as 'remarkable,' rhapsodizing that seeing them both act 'from such a high level up close' was a 'pretty special' experience for him.
A source has told The Daily Mail that Grande and Slater never broke up, but there was a point when it was unclear if their relationship would survive the difficult period
Grande and Slater, pictured at the New York City premiere of Wicked: For Good in November, have been dating since 2023
'Things are strong between them again now,' the insider said of the couple, pictured February 2025
Last month, a source told the Daily Mail the couple were finally 'in a solid place'.
'Ariana put Ethan on the back burner while she was promoting the movie,' one insider told the Daily Mail.
'But they're in a solid place now. They're like an old married couple at home. They'd rather hang out together and do simple things like play board games or binge watch shows rather than go out to fancy places.'
Though the couple kept their public interactions to a minimum, that's not to say the Broadway star Slater didn't show his support for Grande behind the scenes.
The couple's romance began after they started working together on the Wicked films
Slater showed his support for Grande when she hosted Saturday Night Live last year, watching on from backstage
In December, Slater was backstage at Saturday Night Live to watch Grande host the holiday episode that bid farewell to their other co-star, Bowen Yang - who had worked at the iconic sketch show for seven years.
The couple have also now started to subtly post photos of each other to their respective Instagram accounts, giving fans a glimpse at their notoriously private relationship.
The pair took to social media the day after Christmas to share photos of an intimate gathering with friends, seemingly confirming that they spent time together during the holiday season.
Slater shared two short clips of the pop star posing with her dog Toulouse and smiling adoringly at him behind the camera, while Grande reposted the images to her own page with the addition of pink heart stickers.
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