LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lilly Jay has opened up about how she is coping after her husband Ethan Slater left her for his Wicked co-star Ariana Grande. The Broadway actor’s ex-wife spoke to Daily Mail and said that she is "focused on rebuilding a life for our son and rebuilding a life for him" as a single mother.
Sources also shared some shocking details about how Ariana met her several times in London where Ethan and Ariana were filming the movie version of the hit musical. The sources further told the media outlet that the relationship has taken a brutal toll on the new mother.
How is Ethan Slater's ex-wife doing?
"Lilly hung out with Ethan and Ariana so many times," one insider told the publication. She even told her how much she wanted to have a family of her own someday. "Ariana met their baby and even held him. They had dinners together in London - and Ariana told Lilly that she wanted to have a baby one day and that she couldn't wait to start a family." "[Ariana's] the story really, not a girl's girl", Jay told Page Six before adding "My family is just collateral damage." Jay further added that her focus is to be 'a good mom' to her child.
The source said Lilly and her newborn traveled to London with Ethan in April just eight months after giving birth. Soon after Lilly discovered that her husband was having an affair but the couple made a decision to put it behind them and "work on their marriage." However, she later came to know "the romance had continued."
'She thought they were happy'
The source told the outlet, "There was a period when they were all going to try and work on their marriages and put the whole thing behind them, She thought they were happy. But that did not work out [Ariana and Ethan] kept the affair going despite [that]." Ethan then blindsided her by filing for a divorce which was entirely Ethan's decision. "Lilly did not file for divorce from Ethan, he filed for divorce from her," the sources said.
Now the devastated ex-wife is trying to move on as a single mother, "I am focused on rebuilding a life for our son and rebuilding a life for him," Lilly told Daily Mail. "This is what I am trying to do and this is my only focus."
'He was starstruck'
On Wednesday, Ethan filed for divorce from his wife of five years. This news came just one week after the public learned of his romantic relationship with Ariana. Ariana and the Broadway actor crossed paths while working on the upcoming Wicked adaptation. He portrays Boq, while she plays the role of Glinda. The source told the publication that Lilly believes Ethan was starstruck by Ariana. "He was starstruck, he was a new dad in a new country who had never been on a major movie set before."
The second source clarified that Ariana and Ethan started dating only after he had separated from Lilly. Lilly has given up on repairing her marriage and is now focused on raising her son as a single mother. "Lilly never wanted to be a part of [the celebrity] world," the source continued. "She doesn't want her name or her child's name dragged into this. She is now raising her son as a single mother and there is no chance of redemption for Ethan as far as she is concerned. What this has done to her family is absolutely disgusting."
