Why Ariana Grande was holding a pineapple for most of Graham Norton Show appearance

Come hell or high water, it appeared as though nothing could prise that pineapple out of Ariana Grande's hands during her appearance on The Graham Norton Show.

The singer and actress, 31, kept a tight grip on the tropical fruit throughout the majority of the time she spent on the iconic red couch.

She joined Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Don Gilet and Olly Alexander on the BBC show just hours after learning she had received her first ever Oscar nomination.

The shortlist for the Academy Awards were announced on 23 January, revealing that Wicked is up for 10 of the coveted awards this year.

Cynthia Erivo could scoop the gong for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Elphaba, while Grande received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Glinda/Galinda.

But the glitzy awards show for the best in the business doesn't take place until 3 March - so Ferrell decided to give Grande something to tide her over until then.

Take a look at this:

In the footage from the episode which aired on Friday (24 January), host Graham Norton is heard congratulating Grande on her Oscar nomination.

As she thanked the talk show titan for acknowledging her achievement, the celebs beside her burst into applause - but Ferrell stopped clapping and instead rose to his feet.

The Step Brothers star, 57, was seen leaning over the table in front of them before having a root around the fruit bowl.

He bypassed the grapes, oranges, apples and bananas and instead grabbed the pineapple, before bestowing it upon Grande on bended knee.

Getting her prepared for the possibility of accepting an actual Oscar in five weeks time, Ferrell then joked: "That's what a nomination looks like!"

The comedian, whose work has not been recognised at the Academy Awards, clearly couldn't resist cracking a joke during the sweet moment.

Playing along with his schtick, Grande gratefully accepted the offering before comically holding the fruit up to the crowd.

Will Ferrell pinched the pineapple out of the fruit bowl and gave it to Ariana Grande (BBC)

The '7 Rings' singer then giggled: "I appreciate it, thank you!"

As she was already in the UK when news of this year's Oscar nominations broke, Grande thankfully didn't wake up at the crack of dawn to find out if she made the list.

Discussing her reaction when she found out, the Victorious star said: "It was really surreal, I did not expect it at all. It was very overwhelming.

"Our Wicked family being celebrated and Cynthia and our whole family - to see [them being] acknowledged is just very special."

Throughout the rest of the show, it seemed that Grande was really 'holding space' for the fruit...as she didn't let go of it.

In fact, it appears as though the child star really did become quite attached to the pineapple after nursing it for such a long time, as she even took it home with her.

Stylist Mimi Cuttrell, who has been working with the musician since 2020, shared an Instagram story showing the fruit safely tucked behind a seatbelt in a vehicle next to Grande.

It appeared as though the singer had grown quite attached to the fruit after nursing it for so long (Instagram/@mimicuttrell)

So at least she's got something else to put on her mantlepiece if the Oscars don't pan out well - although it might have a short shelf life if it is a real piece of fruit rather than an artificial piece for decoration.

Social media users had plenty to say about the pineapple, with many taking to Reddit to share their thoughts.

One said: "This was my first real encounter with Grande. She seemed 'quirky' to put it politely, but I want a bit more personality than nursing a fake pineapple."

Another added: "I actually found it very funny in a silly kind of way."

Users on X also discussed their thoughts about Grande embracing the pineapple.

One said: "I can’t believe I just watched Ariana Grande hold a pineapple for an hour and talk about 'holding space' for Defying Gravity."

Another added: "Will didn’t even know what he did when he handed her that pineapple. That’s crazy."

And a third added: "Sorry why is Ariana Grande holding a pineapple? I just turned this on."