Ariana Grande opens up about ‘physical’ anxiety after Manchester Arena attack

'When I got home from tour, I had really wild dizzy spells, this feeling like I couldn’t breathe'

(Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Ariana Grande has spoken out about the severe anxiety she experienced following last year’s attack at Manchester Arena.

The singer had just finished performing at her sold-out concert on May 22, 2017 when a suicide bomber detonated a homemade explosive device, killing 22 people and injuring 500 more.

Speaking to Elle, the 25-year-old explained she had always suffered from anxiety but revealed that her symptoms worsened after the attack, leaving her with “wild dizzy spells” and feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

“There were a couple of months straight where I felt so upside down,” she added, explaining how the experience led her to writing “Get Well Soon” with Pharrell Williams, which includes lyrics such as: “my system is overloaded” and “it’s all the voices in my head talking to one another.”

Grande’s mother, Joan, was in the audience on the night of the attack and was also interviewed by the magazine, recalling how her daughter “cried endlessly and barely spoke for two days” in the days after.

Initially, the attack led the singer to swear off singing altogether, leaving her thinking she would never perform again.

However, Joan remembers how her daughter “crawled into bed” with her late one night and said: “Mom, let’s be honest, I’m never not going to sing again. But I’m not going to sing again until I sing in Manchester first.”

The two then called Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, and organised the One Love Manchester concert, where the liked of Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Coldplay performed, raising $23 million for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.

Joan added that since the attack, her daughter “loves a bit more fearlessly than did did before.”

Speaking about returning to the stage for the first time since the attack, Grande described the experience as “terrifying”, crediting her fans for inspiring her to continue performing.

“Why would I second-guess getting on a f***ing stage and being there for them?” she said.

“That city, and their response? That changed my life.”

The singer’s comments come shortly after she revealed to British Vogue that she had been coping with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder since the attacked.

“It’s hard to talk about because so many people have suffered such severe, tremendous loss. But yeah, it’s a real thing,” she said.

“I know those families and my fans, and everyone there experienced a tremendous amount of it as well. Time is the biggest thing.”