Stress of success taking a weighty toll on Oscar nominee Ariana Grande

With a blockbuster movie — “Wicked” is now the highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical ever — and an Oscar nomination, Ariana Grande’s career has reached a high note in the past year.

But insiders say the film’s grueling shoot schedule and marathon press tour, along with past traumas and complicated relationships, have taken a toll on the petite, 31-year-old star.

On the red carpet at the BAFTA Film Awards, Grande looked shockingly slim — with hollow cheeks and a visible sternum — in a plunging V-neck Louis Vuitton gown.

Ariana Grande’s career hit a high note this past year with the mega success of “Wicked” — now the highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical — and an Oscar nomination. WireImage

Sources close to Grande told The Post that the anxiety of the last year has been physically and mentally hard on the star. WireImage

Friends blame the stress and anxiety of the last year.

“It’s physically so demanding,” a former colleague of Grande’s told The Post, of the “Wicked” promotional blitz coupled with Grande’s relationship with co-star Ethan Slater, 32.

“I don’t even think your body knows when it needs to eat. You’re sleeping when you’re supposed to be up, and you’re up when you’re supposed to be sleeping. Between that, and the fashion women deal with – the hair, the makeup, and the nails – it’s nonstop running. It’s superhuman,” the source said.

Grande’s former colleague said her rigorous schedule has her firing on all cylinders.

Grande’s former colleague noted the star’s appearance may be a result of the “non-stop” press tour for “Wicked.” @CelebCandidly / BACKGRID

“You always have to be on. You have to really be measured about what you say, you always have to be thinking, ‘If I say this, is it going to come out like this?’ Your brain is nonstop working,” the former colleague told The Post. Getty Images for MTV

“It’s just the non-stop running on that kind of schedule and that kind of level. It definitely takes a toll on your health — it’s that much harder to take care of yourself — mentally as well as physically.

Another source who previously worked for Grande noted that the singer has struggled with anxiety for years but always seemed to have a good head on shoulders.

“I never got a sense from her that she didn’t like who she was or how she looked,” the person said.

Another source, who previously worked for Grande, told The Post the singer has struggled with anxiety for years, but always seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. Getty Images for WSJ. Magazine Innovators Awards

Grande had to dye her hair from brunette to blonde for the role of Glinda in “Wicked” GC Images

Concern over Grande’s appearance began circulating online in early 2023 when photos of her filming the “Wicked” movie surfaced, prompting fans to comment on her shrinking physique. Her lighter hair, dyed blond for the film, also made her look pale in some shots, worrying fans further.

The singer/actress defended her physique on TikTok in April 2023, saying, “There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful,” and noting her previous appearance was “the unhealthiest version of my body.”

She added, “I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly and at the lowest point in my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy.”

Grande, who rose to fame as a child star on the Nickelodeon show “Victorious” in 2010 and released her first album in 2013, has said she’s long felt like a “specimen in a petri dish.”

Grande said she’s long felt like a “specimen in a petri dish.” BAFTA via Getty Images

“I was on a lot of antidepressants and drinking on them and eating poorly and at the lowest point in my life when I looked the way you consider my healthy,” Grande said. Getty Images for Billboard

“I’ve heard every version of it, of what’s wrong with me, and then you fix it, and then it’s wrong for different reasons,” she said In an emotional interview with French content creator Crazy Sally (aka Salima Jeanne Poumbga) while promoting “Wicked” in London in December.

“In today’s society, there’s a comfortability that we shouldn’t have at all, commenting on other’s looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes or health or how they present themselves … you never know what someone is going through,” Grande added.

Grande has certainly been through a lot.

Grande stars as Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in “Wicked.” Both are up for Oscars, and the film is nominated in the Best Picture category. Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Grande, performing in 2018, credits music with saving her life. She has spoken publicly about her struggles with anxiety, depression, and PTSD following the 2017 suicide bomber attack at her concert at the Manchester Arena in England. FilmMagic

In May 2017, her concert at the Manchester Arena in England was attacked by a suicide bomber, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds. In the wake of the horrific bombing, Grande struggled.

“I was doing so much therapy, and I was dealing with PTSD and all different kinds of grief and depression and anxiety,” she said recently on the Hollywood Reporter podcast “Awards Chatter.”

She credited music with “saving [her] life” during that time and threw herself into her work. She released back-to-back albums in 2018 and 2019 — “Sweetener” and “Thank U, Next.”

The tragedies continued.

In September 2018, Grande’s ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died from an accidental drug overdose. She referred to the rapper as “my dearest friend” and “the kindest, sweetest soul” in an Instagram post after his death. GC Images

At the time of Miller’s death, Grande was in the throes of a whirlwind romance with troubled “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson, 31. The two got engaged in July 2018, shortly after they started dating, and broke up in October of that year. WireImage

In September 2018, Grande’s ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died from an accidental drug overdose.

She referred to the rapper as “my dearest friend” and “the kindest, sweetest soul” in a post on her Instagram page after his death.

The duo had dated for close to two years and parted ways earlier in 2018.

“Mac is her true love — and is always going to be front and center [in her mind], what could she have done to save him. She’s got a lot of guilt from that,” the source who previously worked with Grande said. “She’s had some really traumatic things happen — she probably feels better just to work as much as possible.”

Grande met Broadway star Ethan Slater, 32, in 2022, and they had an affair while filming “Wicked” together. Getty Images for National Board of Review

Her romantic life continues to be complicated.

In 2021, she married real estate broker Dalton Gomez at an intimate ceremony in Montecito, California.

The following year, she and Broadway star Ethan Slater, 32, had an affair while filming “Wicked” together.

Grande and Slater (left) both divorced their respective spouses and remain together. Getty Images for FIJI Water

At the time, Slater and then-wife Lilly Jay had a son who was just 11 months old.

Jay called out the adulterer last July, telling Page Six her family was seen as “collateral damage” and slammed Grande as “not a girl’s girl.”

Grande and Slater both divorced their respective spouses and remain together.

But the source who previously worked for Grande told The Post they’re unsure if their relationship has staying power beyond the “Wicked” hype.

A source who previously worked for Grande told The Post they’re unsure if Grande and Slater’s relationship has staying power beyond the “Wicked” hype. WireImage

“She was always very thick-skinned,” actor Joey LaVarco, 29, who starred with Grande in “13” on Broadway in 2008 told The Post. Millie Turner/Invision/AP

“I don’t think it’s an act, but I don’t think it can last. I don’t think he has the thick skin to be with someone like her, especially given that he broke up his marriage for her. People really question his morals,” they said.

Actor Joey LaVarco, 29, who starred with Grande in “13” on Broadway in 2008, said Grande always had a thick skin and is likely performing through the stress of the always-on schedule.

“I’m sure it’s a roller coaster. I’m sure it’s mostly great. Like everything it comes with its cons. You learn resilience at a very young age working on Broadway. There’s too much money and not a lot of time involved,” LaVarco said.

“She was always very thick-skinned.”