Ariana Grande, who dated Ethan Slater shortly after splitting from her now-ex-husband Dalton Gomez, blasted those who had “misunderstood” her and made “assumptions” about her. In a long Instagram Story post on Friday, she said, “I have never felt more pride, joy, or love while simultaneously feeling so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me, who piece together whispers and make what they want out of me and their assumptions of my life. ”After splitting from Dalton Gomez and dating Ethan Slater, Ariana Grande blasted people for forming “assumptions” about her romantic life.

She understands “how much more important one of those things is than the other,” the “7 Rings” singer explained. Even if there are many things that I would frequently be afraid of, I feel protected. “I have never felt more fiercely protected or held in place by people who care about and understand me, including family, friends, and fans.

” “I am listening to and trusting myself, even when trauma or fear tells me not to,” she continued. Grande even revealed that she is merely “protecting myself from things that do not deserve my energy” and “reacting to things that deserve my energy. ”The “Thank U, Next” singer admitted to feeling “so deeply misunderstood by people who don’t know me.

”Grande called the year “challenging” after divorcing Gomez. The Grammy winner, 30, wrote the statement while reflecting on the “transformative,” “challenging” and “special” year. “There were so many beautiful and yet polarized feelings,” she said.

Grande raved about how “fulfilled” she is with her work after filming “Wicked” over the past year. “i gave everything I could have possibly given of my heart and of myself to the projects I was fortunate enough to be a part of and learned so much from every brilliant, beautiful, soul that I had the privilege of creating art with and crossing paths with this year,” she wrote. The Grammy winner also began dating her “Wicked” co-star, Ethan Slater.

Grande –– who is playing Glinda in the movie musical –– met Slater, 31, on the set of “Wicked,”“i feel more human than ever,” she concluded. “i feel more deeply than ever. I feel softer and stronger, all at once.

”The songstress was separated from her then-husband Gomez at the time, while Slater had also split from wife, Lilly Jay. When Grande and Slater started dating during the summer, they were both divorced from their wives. According to a source, Jay was “completely blindsided” by Slater’s July divorce filing.

In September, Grande filed for divorce, and a month later, it was finalized. Since then, the pair has made their connection public. Last week, they were even seen going out to dinner with her father, Ed Butera, in New York City.

We were informed at the time by a source that “they had dinner with her dad and family at her family’s favorite Italian restaurant. ” “They enjoy helping one another out at work. ”