Ariana Grande has gone Instagram-official with her former backup dancer and ex-boyfriend Ricky Álvarez, sharing photos of the couple a decade after they first dated. The public reunion follows lyric adjustments on her Eternal Sunshine Tour and a new matching tattoo on her left collarbone.
Instagram Confirmation and Tour Hints
Pop star Ariana Grande has officially confirmed her rekindled romance with former backup dancer Ricky Álvarez, sharing a series of intimate images in an August 12 Instagram carousel. Halfway into the 20-photo post, a picture features Álvarez with his arm around Grande’s shoulders while she captures a mirror selfie, with both of their heads cropped out of the frame. In a subsequent image, Álvarez appears to take a blurry mirror selfie with the singer. Grande tagged him in both images, and Álvarez shared the picture on his Instagram story.
The social media confirmation follows months of public speculation fueled by lyric adjustments throughout the summer. While performing Thank U, Next
during her July 13 tour stop in Brooklyn, New York, Grande altered the song to reference her former partner. She sang that she had written some songs about Ricky and that they always find their way back. Prior to that performance, she also revised other lyrics in her catalog to include phrases like she knows he still has her back and that now they still kind of slap.
A Decade-Long Connection
The rekindled relationship brings the couple full circle nearly ten years after they first crossed paths. Álvarez initially joined Grande’s team as a backup dancer for a performance in 2014 before staying on for her debut world tour, the Honeymoon Tour, in 2015. The pair dated from 2015 to 2016 before eventually parting ways, though they remained friends over the subsequent decade.
According to sources, the romance was reignited last month following the singer’s breakup with her former Wicked
co-star Ethan Slater. Grande quietly split from Slater earlier this year after three years of dating. That relationship had drawn significant public scrutiny as both pursued a connection amid divorces from their respective spouses. In September 2023, Grande and real estate agent Dalton Gomez initiated divorce proceedings following a months-long separation, while Slater divorced his wife, Lilly Jay, in July 2023. Before those relationships, Grande was famously engaged to Saturday Night Live
alumnus Pete Davidson.
Coordinated Ink in London
Eagle-eyed concertgoers recently spotted physical proof of the renewed commitment during the London stop of Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour. Fans noticed a new phrase tattooed on the left clavicle of the 33-year-old singer, which appeared to read I do love you.
Álvarez sports the exact same words inked in the same spot along his left collarbone, though rendered in a different font.
The coordinated body art may draw inspiration from the 1965 Billy Stewart song of the same name, which features lyrics such as she stated that she truly does love him now and that a pretty little baby said she wants him to try to understand that she, that she, that she wants to be his lover man. Grande had previously teased the design in her August 12 Instagram post by writing the words out in quotes. This form of permanent commemoration is familiar territory for the pop star, who previously sported matching tattoos with Cynthia Erivo and Pete Davidson during past relationships.
Stepping Back from the Spotlight
The public reconciliation arrives just as Grande prepares to step away from the public eye. On August 2, the singer announced that she is taking a step back from visibility once her tour concludes, citing endless and ongoing public scrutiny regarding her appearance and health. Before officially retreating from the spotlight, however, she made sure her relationship status was clear to her fans, sharing her renewed happiness during the final stretch of her touring schedule.
