Ariana Grande sends tearful message at final concert before 'taking a step back' from public life

Ariana Grande's extended break from the public eye has now begun, after the singer ended her final London show in tears.

The 33-year-old singer completed her Eternal Sunshine tour with a residency at London's O2 Arena last night (1 September), a show which may be the last time fans see her for a long time.

During one address to the crowd, Grande thanked fans for the 'extraordinary experience' and called the 41-date tour one of the most 'beautiful' experiences of her life.

"This has been one of the most beautiful, extraordinary experiences of my life, and I just wanted to express my gratitude without sobbing," she told the crowd while choking back tears.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," Grande continued. “It has been so special and I will cherish this experience always.

"But really, thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s been so special, and I’ll cherish this experience always. I have the best fans in the entire world and I always have.

"And I love your outfits, I love your faces, I love seeing you, I love connecting with you in this way. Thank you for all of your effort for making this so special. All your messages and your costumes and your wardrobe and makeup is just so beautiful."

Grande's tour had begun in Oakland, California and included several stops across the United States and Canada before coming to London for a 10-day run.

"I have loved every minute of this with you all, and I just wanted to make sure I express how grateful I am," the Wicked actor told fans.

"Thank you for being by my side all the way from Honeymoon Avenue to Hampstead."

Elsewhere in the show, Grande also gave a nod to rumoured boyfriend Ricky Álvarez, changing the lyric in her song 'Thank U, Next' from 'Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh' to 'Wrote some songs about Ricky, I'm trying to make him my last'.

This isn't the first time Grande has referenced her rekindled relationship with Álvarez during the tour, previously changing the line to 'We always find our way back' and 'I know he’s still got my back' at previous dates.

Grande and Álvarez had previously dated between 2015 and 2016, after he worked as a backing dancer for one of her previous tours.

"Boundaries need to be set."

Earlier this year, Grande confirmed that she would be stepping back from public life after the tour concluded, with a representative for the singer confirming the news to PEOPLE.

"Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour," a rep told the publication.

"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.”

They added: "This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much."

The announcement followed months of speculation about Grande's health, after fans expressed concern over her weight loss at recent red carpet premieres and in her 'Petal' music video.

Her decision to step back included pulling out of her performance in West End play Sunday in the Park with George, which her Wicked costar Jonathan Bailey has also left.

Grande later denied rumours that her public hiatus was in response to concerns about her body image, telling fans at a Chicago show that the decision to take a break had been one she made 'a long time ago'.

"I heard my fans were worried negativity was ruining things for me but... that could not be more than the opposite," she told the crowd.

"Boundaries need to be set, human beings do need a break sometimes," Grande continued.

"No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will ever be able to distort my reality, or be more real to me than this love that we share.

"I love you, this is what I want always... the rest of that [stuff] is not mine to carry."

All the times Ariana Grande has hit back at critics

Shutting down misogynistic body-shamers - 'Other people’s bodies are not yours to objectify'

Grande told the trolls to 'unfollow' her if they had only nasty comments to make in 2015.

As negative comments piled up under an Instagram post, she wrote: "P.s. if you're a misogynistic body-shamer, please unfollow! Other people's bodies are not yours to objectify / judge, even when photos are posted on a social media platform.

"I like my lil body! thank you!"

Defending women's right to expression and sexuality - 'Women can love their bodies too'

In 2016, shortly after the release of the music video for 'Dangerous Woman', a so-called fan decided to leave a comment on Grande's Facebook post to call her a derogatory slur over the way she looked in the video.

Grande herself replied, saying: "When will people stop being offended by women showing skin / expressing sexuality? Men take their shirts off / express their sexuality on stage, in videos, on Instagram, anywhere they want to... all. the. time.

"The double standard is so boring and exhausting. With all due respect, I think it's time you get your head out of your ---. Woman can love their bodies too!!"

Calling out men who objectify her - 'I am not a piece of meat'

Taking to Twitter (now known as X) in 2016, Grande wrote in a candid note: "Went to pick up food with my boyfriend tonight and a young boy followed us to the car to tell Mac that he's a big fan," referencing her ex Mac Miller, who sadly died in 2018.

"I thought all of this was cute and exciting until he said, 'Ariana is sexy as hell man I see you, I see you hitting that!' *pause*. Hitting that?"

"This may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but I felt sick and objectified," she went on to share. "Things like this happen all the time and are the kinds of moments that contribute to women's sense of fear and inadequacy.

"I am not a piece of meat that a man gets to utilize for his pleasure. It hurts my heart that so many young people are so comfortable... using these phrases and objectifying women with such ease."

"We need to talk about these moments openly because they are harmful and they live inside us in shame. We are not objects or prizes. We are QUEENS."

Addressing fan speculation over her body image - 'There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful'

In 2023, in the midst of filming as Glinda for Wicked, Grande took to TikTok to post a candid video addressing speculation and negative comments on her body and health.

"I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little bit about what it means to be a person with a body and to be seen and to be paid such close attention to," she said.

"I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people's bodies, no matter what. If you think you're saying something good or well intentioned, whatever it is: healthy, unhealthy, big, small, this, that, sexy, not sexy...we just shouldn't.

"We should really work towards not doing that as much."

She went on: "There are many different kinds of beautiful. There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. The body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body."

Firing back at criticism over the change in her voice - 'When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed'

Grande's speaking voice changed to a noticeably lighter and breathier register during and after the filming of both Wicked films - something she was sadly trolled and criticised for.

Hitting back while speaking to Vanity Fair in 2024 alongside her co-star Cynthia Erivo, Grande said: "There is a part of the world that isn’t familiar with what it takes to transform your voice, whether it’s singing or taking on a different dialect for a role or doing a character voice for something.

"When it’s a male actor that does it, it’s acclaimed. There are definitely jokes that are made as well, but it’s always after being led with praise: ‘Oh, wow, he was so lost in the role’.

"And that’s just a part of the job, really. Tale as old as time being a woman in this industry. You are treated differently, and you are under a microscope in a way that some people aren’t."

She also took to TikTok to address the matter further, saying: "I intentionally change my vocal placement (high/low) often depending on how much singing I’m doing. I’ve always done this BYE."