Ariana Grande Discusses Difficult Relationship With Father

Ariana Grande has been going through some rough times lately, not least of which was the recent death of her grandfather. But opening up to Seventeen in its August issue, the star reveals she has been dealing with tough family stuff for quite some time.

When asked by the magazine what has been the toughest thing she’s ever had to deal with, Ariana said it was falling out with her father. Notably, Seventeen posed that question to Ariana before her grandfather passed away. She elaborated by giving insight into her own process of coming to terms with the relationship:

“It’s private, but it happened last year. It took me so long to be okay with it. The thing that got me there was embracing the fact that that I am made up of half my dad, and a lot of my traits come from him. So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself. I had to accept that it’s okay not to get along with somebody and still love them.”

Ariana’s half-brother, Frankie, is currently a contestant on Big Brother 16. The two have the same mother but different fathers. When their maternal grandfather passed away, Frankie was unaware of what happened until production on Big Brother gave him a letter from his family that broke the news. Ariana and Frankie’s grandfather was 90 and had been living with cancer.

In a sad Big Brother coincidence, fellow contestant Derrick was informed that his own grandfather had also died, a mere two days after Frankie and Ariana’s. This detail was seen on the program’s live feeds, but as of last Sunday had not made it to the network broadcasts – unlike Frankie’s devastation over his own loss.

As for Ariana, she showed Seventeen remarkable wisdom given her young age. The singer scooped on selfies, her fans and her insecurities:

“I’m at a point in my life where love is the most important thing, and I won’t let anything come before it.”

Ariana also spoke at length about her grandfather, whom had called her “a blessing.” Of what’s she’s learned in her young life, Ariana was introspective:

“Being okay with not having the answers to everything. I feel like for the first time in my life, I’m really okay. I used to freak out about everything all the time. I used to be like, ‘Oh my God, somebody said this!’ Everything used to be such a big deal! But now, I feel I can handle everything that comes my way with a calm energy.”

[Image: Ariana Grande/Google]