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Ariana Grande finally apologises after donut-licking America-hating video goes viral: 'I was so disgusted with myself'

The singer found herself with a 'Problem' after security footage leaked online

Jess Denham
Friday 10 July 2015 08:58 BST
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Ariana Grande is trying to calm the Twitter storm surrounding her after that donut licking incident
Ariana Grande is trying to calm the Twitter storm surrounding her after that donut licking incident (Getty Images)

Ariana Grande has tried to calm the fierce backlash against her after she was filmed licking a donut in a shop with her new boyfriend and declaring her hatred of America.

The 22-year-old singer, born in Florida and best known for her song "Problem", quickly found herself with one after the clip of her went viral but has now apologised. Sort of.

"I am extremely proud to be an American and I've always made it clear that I love my country. What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the donuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words," she said in a statement to Buzzfeed.

"I sometimes get upset by how freely we as Americans eat and consume things without giving any thought to the consequences that it has on our health and society as a whole"

Grande went on to brand herself "an advocate for healthy eating" and rant about the US having the highest child obesity rate in the world before finally admitting that her behaviour was wrong.

"We need to do more to educate ourselves and our children about the dangers of overeating and the poison that we put into our bodies," she said. "We need to demand more from our food industry. However, I should of known better in how I expressed myself and my new responsibility to others as a public figure. I will strive to be better."

Grande later published a black and white 'apology video' on YouTube acknowledging that she had been "too busy preaching about [her] issues with the food industry to actually sincerely apologise" and that watching her own actions had been a "rude awakening".

"I was so disgusted with myself, I like wanted to shove my face into a pillow and like disappear, but instead of that I'm going to come forward and own up to what I did and take responsibility and say I'm sorry because I reacted in a way that I feel like wasn't necessary to say the least but also just wasn't me at all," she said.

The video, posted by TMZ on Tuesday, caught Grande sharing a smooch with backup dancer Ricky Alvarez and licking some treats on display before rudely telling a staff member: "What the f**k is that? I hate America".

Criticism against Grande was so strong that she cancelled her performance at an MLB All-Star concert (to be fair she cited "health issues" after having three wisdom teeth removed) but not everyone is convinced that her response to the incident is sincere, particularly as she failed to apologise to the Wolfee Donut shop in Lake Elsinore where the scandal occurred.

The hashtag #WeForgiveYouAriana is currently trending on Twitter so clearly her career isn't over yet.

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