Proud of how far he’s come! Frankie Grande gushed exclusively to Us Weekly about his more than year and a half of sobriety while attending Bette Midler’s annual Hulaween bash on Monday, October 29.
“It’s a huge deal,” the Big Brother alum, 35, told Us of celebrating at the event benefiting the New York Restoration Project. “I was sober last Halloween but it was in a very controlled environment whereas here I’m out at a public event … on a party night.”
Grande continued: “I [stayed] in last Halloween. So it’s a big deal. Having this message of sobriety and recovery to blast out into the world is also very powerful and kind of the reason why I’m on this planet I think, it’s one of my purposes.”
As for how long the professional dancer has been clean, Grande exclaimed to Us it’s been “500 days today!”
Grande also opened up about a significant time in his life when he realized he really needed take control and seek treatment.
“My moment of clarity came after the Manchester bombings when I realized that I had no tools to handle all of the feelings that came into and that I was being of no [help] to my family in this time of need,” he told Us of the terror attack that claimed the lives of 22 people and injured hundreds at his sister Ariana Grande’s concert in May 2017.
Grande continued: “I was something that they had to worry about, not something that they sought for comfort. And I needed to change that so I did!”
The New York native added of the “God Is a Women” songstress: “She’s a very good sister.”
Grande opened up last month about seeking help, crediting the singer’s late boyfriend Mac Miller for inspiring him to go to treatment.
“I am beyond heartbroken over Malcolm’s death. He was a good friend and was wonderful to my sister,” Grande penned in an emotional Instagram tribute following the rapper’s death from an apparent overdose in September. “He was the reason I went to the rehabilitation center where I was detoxed safely from all of the drugs alcohol and medications I was taking, when I couldn’t imagine living without them.”
The YouTube personality continued: “It was the place where I found the community of support that showed me that living life without drugs was a possibility and I would never have discovered that if it weren’t for Malcolm. I remember when I would get 30, 60, 90 days clean and Malcom would be there with a gift and a card and words of encouragement … telling me that he knew how hard getting sober is and how impressed he was that I was succeeding.”
With reporting by Nicki Gostin
