Ariana Grande has bid an emotional farewell to her fans as she steps away from the limelight. The U.S. singer and “Wicked” star told a packed performance of the last night of her “Eternal Sunshine” tour in London that she would “cherish this experience always.” Speaking through tears on stage at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday night, Grande expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her legions of fans. “I just wanted to say thank you so much,” Grande said, to a huge wave of applause and cheering. “Thank you for 10 beautiful London shows and for 41 incredible Eternal Sunshine tour shows.” She said that performing for this tour — which kicked off in Oakland, California, in June — had been “one of the most beautiful and extraordinary experiences of my life” and that she would “cherish this experience always.” “I have the best fans in the entire world and I always have,” she said, adding: “I love your outfits. I love your faces. I love seeing you and I love connecting with you in this way. Thank you for all your effort that you put into making this so special.” News emerged last month that the star would be taking a “step back from visibility” following the end of her tour. A representative for the 33-year-old star told People magazine in an Aug. 2 interview that Grande would end the tour on a “high note” before taking a “much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” In the same interview, it emerged that Grande had pulled out of starring in a London revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George,” which would have seen her starring opposite her “Wicked” co-star Jonathan Bailey. He subsequently also withdrew from the production, which had been scheduled for next summer. Grande has long been subjected to intense scrutiny over her appearance. Most recently, the video of her latest single — “Petal” — led to a chorus of alarm about how underweight she appeared. However, a day after the news broke of her withdrawal from public life, Grande said her decision “was not a reactive or impulsive thing,” and that it was a decision she had planned “a long time ago.” “I heard that my fans were worried that negativity was ruining things for me but I just have to say, that could not be more the… opposite,” the singer said during a performance in Chicago. “Boundaries do need to be set, human beings can need a break sometimes.”
