Ariana Grande made an emotional exit on Tuesday night, as she wrapped up her Eternal Sunshine tour, and prepared to step back from public life. The singer was occasionally close to tears - most notably during One Last Time, the song that took on extra meaning as an anthem for survivors of the 2017 Manchester terror attack. "London, I'm going to need you to help me on this one," she said, kneeling down to be near the audience throughout the performance.
Last month, Grande announced a break from all future public-facing appearances following months of intense speculation about her health and appearance. The step-back includes Grande's withdrawal from a production of Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George at London's Barbican next summer. She was due to appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey.
He also pulled out of the production on Tuesday. On stage in London, Grande showed no signs of fragility or poor health - other than a foot injury that required her to swap her trademark stilettos for a succession of knee-high platform boots. Nonetheless, she sprang across the stage in sync with her dancers, often on tip-toe to compensate for the lost height of her high heels.
But her composure slipped during the song Nowhere, Nobody, as she sang the line: "Hard to believe in a perfect ending." The blip was short-lived, though. Professional to the core, Grande was never less than magnetic on stage. Addressing the audience towards the end of the show, the singer thanked fans for their support.
"This has been one of the most beautiful extraordinary experiences of my life and I just wanted to express my gratitude without sobbing completely," she said. "I'll cherish this experience always. I have the best fans in the entire world and I always have.
Thank you for all of your effort and continuing to make this so special. "I have loved every minute of this with you all and I just wanted to make sure I express how grateful I am." Grande announced her hiatus last month, shortly after releasing the music video for her latest single, Petal, which led some fans to express concern about her weight. One wrote on X that the 33-year-old had "become so thin that people are genuinely concerned".
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