Ethan Slater’s ex-wife Lilly Jay “actually by no means thought” she “would get divorced.”
Dr. Lilly Jay is reflecting on her extremely publicized break up from actor Ethan Slater and the way it has impacted her life.
In an essay titled How Does My Divorce Make You Feel? for The Cut on Thursday, December 19, Jay shared her emotional journey following her divorce, which got here simply after the start of her first baby.
“No one will get married pondering they’ll get divorced … however I actually by no means thought I’d get divorced. Especially not simply after giving start to my first baby, and particularly not within the shadow of my husband’s new relationship with a celeb,” she wrote.
Slater, 32, filed for divorce in July 2023, one month earlier than their son’s first birthday. That similar month, information broke of his romance with Wicked co-star Ariana Grande, which Jay admitted made her wrestle because the film’s press tour turned unavoidable.
“Days with my son are sunny. Days after I can’t escape the promotion of a film related to the saddest days of my life are darker,” she defined.
Jay, who works as a perinatal psychologist, described how distance grew between her and Slater throughout early parenthood.
“I didn’t perceive the rising distance between us,” she shared, recounting her determination to help his profession whereas caring for his or her new child overseas.
As headlines about her divorce circulated, Jay mourned the lack of her as soon as non-public life.
“I deeply miss the lifetime of invisibility I created for my sufferers,” she revealed, acknowledging how the sudden public publicity conflicted together with her skilled id.
Despite the challenges, Jay hopes her experiences can resonate with others.
“Maybe we are able to take into consideration my messy not-so-personal life in that approach: a dose of my very own loss, rage, powerlessness, disappointment that helps me maintain yours,” she wrote.
On a hopeful observe, Jay shared her perception {that a} “lifetime of sweetness is ready for me and my baby.”
She additionally emphasised the shared love she and Slater have for his or her son.
“We each fiercely love our son one hundred pc of the time, no matter how our parenting time is split,” she concluded.
While some initially speculated that Slater and Grande’s relationship started as an affair, each denied the claims.