Topics: Ariana Grande, Celebrity, TV And Film, US News, Crime
Warning: this article discusses child sexual abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Following the resurface of several controversial clips of her acting as a child, Ariana Grande has issued a statement.
The singer's response comes amid the investigation into alleged child sexual abuse at Nickelodeon, after several other young stars came forward.
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Ariana was barely a teenager when she was cast in kids' comedy series Victorious, as class clown Cat Valentine back in 2013.
From there, she skyrocketed into the spotlight, and bagged further roles in the likes of spin-off series Sam and Cat, before turning her attention to music.
In recent months, however, several clips of the actress and singer working on the Nickelodeon shows as a child have come under severe scrutiny from viewers.
In one scene - recorded whilst Ariana was just 16 - she discusses her uvula getting stuck between a hamster's toes, before putting her finger in the back of her throat.
A second scene sees the youngster talking about being 'soaking wet', whilst a third sees her putting her toes in her mouth.
In an even more sinister clip, a teenage Ariana could be seen lying on her back and pouring water on her chest.
Now, the musician, 31, has released a statement addressing the excruciating clips, claiming she often forgets the bizarre performances she was forced to give as a child.
“You don’t remember some of it," she told Vanity Fair this week.
"And then it’s thrown into this compilation in this thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, that happened? I can’t believe that!'"
Ariana then continued: "The most important thing we can do is focus on making the working environment safer for all performers and artists—even musicians.
"If you’re going to sign to a major label and your life’s going to change the way that mine did, there should be therapy in the contract. You should have support on the mental side because it’s not normal.
"Nothing can really prepare you for what comes with this amount of visibility.”
This isn't the first time that the Wicked frontwoman has touched on some of the damaging accusations filed against former Nickelodeon staff.
Speaking on fellow actor Penn Badgeley's podcast earlier this year, Ariana called for stronger measures to be put in place by TV producers to protect children from abuse.
Describing the ongoing accusations as 'devastating', she expressed her 'empathy' towards those that are suffering.
She explained: "Obviously, my relationship to it is currently and has been changing and I'm reprocessing a lot about what the experience was like.
"I think the environment needs to be made safer if kids are going to be acting. I think there should be therapists, there should be parents allowed to be wherever they want to be - not only on kids' sets."
Several other former child stars have recounted their experience at the broadcaster, with many pointing fingers at Dan Schneider, famed for producing the likes of teenage sitcom hits Drake and Josh and Zoey 101.
The producer has since filed a defamation lawsuit against the documentary Quiet on Set, which attempted to shed light on the rumours.
Child actor, Drake Bell, was also amongst the numerous stars to appear in the docu-series, alleging that he was sexually abused by since-convicted sex offender, Brian Peck, who also worked close to The Amanda Show star Amanda Bynes.
