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Pete Davidson’s Relationship With Ariana Grande Was Strained After Mac Miller’s Death (Exclusive)

Breaking free from guilt. Pete Davidson does not blame himself for his split from ex-fiancée Ariana Grande, a source close to the Saturday Night Live star tells Us Weekly exclusively.

Related: Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson: The Way They Were

Pete Davidson ‘Feels He’s the One to Blame’ for Ariana Grande Split
Pete Davidson, Ariana Grande and Mac Miller. NBC; INSTAR Images; Getty Images

“He’s sad. He’s really sad about this split, and he only wishes the best for Ariana, but their relationship was really complicated with the passing of Mac Miller,” the insider says. “It put a tremendous amount of strain on their relationship.”

The source adds that they each feel responsible for the breakup: “Pete loved Ariana and wanted it to work, but they’ve both had such tragic events happen in their lives. And they are young.”

Miller, whom Grande dated for nearly two years before their breakup in May, died at age 26 of an apparent drug overdose in September. The 25-year-old “No Tears Left to Cry” singer announced at the time that she would be taking “some much needed time to heal and mend” following the rapper’s sudden passing and the May 2017 terrorist attack that killed 22 people at her Manchester, England, concert.

Related: Celebrity Splits of 2018

The comedian, whose father died in the 9/11 attacks, suffers from health issues, including borderline personality disorder and Crohn’s disease.

A second source tells Us of Davidson’s reaction to the split: “He’s really broken up about it. … He acts like he’s doing OK, but his friends can tell he’s beating himself up about the breakup.”

Us confirmed on Sunday, October 14, that the couple, who took the serious step in their relationship after just a few weeks of dating, called off their engagement after four months. “They realized it happened too quick and too early,” the insider said. “The wedding is off, but they’re working things out. They’re not officially done yet.”

Another source told Us that the romance was “always very up and down.”

Related: Every Tattoo Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande Got for Love

Davidson, 24, has retreated from the public eye since the breakup, canceling a scheduled comedy performance at Temple University earlier this week. The Set It Up star will also have a few weeks off from Saturday Night Live since the show is on hiatus until Saturday, November 3.

Meanwhile, Grande, 25, announced that she is taking a break from social media. “time to say bye bye again to the internet for jus a lil bit,” the “Breathin” singer wrote in a since-deleted Instagram Story post on Tuesday, October 16. “it’s hard not to bump news n stuff that i’m not tryna see rn. it’s very sad and we’re all tryin very hard to keep goin. love u. and thank u for bein here always.”

The pop star dove back into work that same day, wearing a Band-Aid over her ring finger tattoo of Davidson’s name while filming NBC’s A Very Wicked Halloween. Grande was also sans her $100,000 engagement ring.

With reporting by Brody Brown and Travis Cronin

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