20 December 2024, 11:43
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Alamy
Lilly Jay, Ethan Slater’s ex-wife, has shared the pain she felt after splitting from her husband and watching the Wicked actor’s romance with Ariana Grande.
Ms Jay, 32, said her former partner’s relationship with his Wicked co-star left her suffering in “darkness”.
Watching Ethan promote the Wicked film was a painful reminder of the downfall of the “public downfall of my marriage’”, she said.
Ethan and Ms Jay are childhood sweethearts and moved to London with their two-month old baby while Wicked was being filmed.
Their relationship broke down when Ethan left her for Ariana.
She wrote in an essay for The Cut: “I confidently moved to another country with my 2-month-old baby and my husband to support his career.
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“Consumed by the magic and mundanity of new motherhood, I didn’t understand the growing distance between us.”
While days with her son are “sunny”, Ms Jay admitted that the “days when I can’t escape the promotion of a movie associated with the saddest days of my life are darker.”
The mother-of-one previously worked in a hospital helping pregnant women with babies facing fatal or severe conditions.
“I loved my life working in a helping profession and being immersed in the details of other people’s stories rather than documenting my own narrative for public consumption,” she wrote.
Ethan, 31, had an acting career before starring in Wicked. But he got his big blockbuster break when he was cast to play character Boq in the film.
The first part of the musical was released in the UK on November 22. Part two is expected in November 2025.
Ethan met Ariana on set and their relationship soon began. Both were in separate marriages at the time. In 2023, the actor filed for divorce from Ms Jay.
The pair had been married for five years. Ariana filed for divorce the same year. She had been married to Break luxury real estate agent Dalton Gomez for two years.
The marriage officially ended in March 2024. Mr Gomez reportedly pocketed $1.25 million in a payout from the singer.