Ariana Grande bids tearful farewell at final concert: “This is the end, I’m stepping away from public life”

Ariana Grande struggled to hold back tears as she said goodbye to a packed O2 Arena in London, bringing her 41-concert “Eternal Sunshine” tour to an emotional close. Sitting on a chair with a trembling voice, the 33-year-old singer thanked the audience through tears and promised to keep the experience with her forever.

“This was one of the most beautiful, most unusual experiences of my life, and I just want to express my gratitude without completely bursting into tears,” Grande told the crowd, according to footage that spread across social media. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It was so special and I will cherish this experience forever. I have the best fans in the whole world, and I always have.”

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This was one of the most beautiful, most unusual experiences of my life, and I just want to express my gratitude without completely bursting into tears.

She also thanked fans for the effort they put into their costumes and for the messages they brought to concerts, saying she had loved every minute spent with them. The tour covered North America before ending with 10 shows in the British capital.

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Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It was so special and I will cherish this experience forever. I have the best fans in the whole world, and I always have.

The announcement of a break came in August, when her representative said Grande would “take a step back from visibility” after the tour. The statement said she looked forward to finishing the tour healthy and happy, then taking a deserved break from public work and performances after what it described as endless, nonstop public scrutiny.

The decision followed harsh criticism of Grande’s appearance and weight loss, which intensified after the release of the music video for “Petal” in late July. Grande later insisted that her retreat was not an immediate response to those comments. During a concert in Chicago in early August, she used her phone to address fans directly, saying she had quietly planned the move long before and describing it as a thoughtful, empowering decision.

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The announcement that was released was not a reactive or impulsive thing. It is something I decided to plan quietly, a long time ago.