ARIANA GRANDE ‘LOVES AMERICA’ DESPITE OBESITY JIBE

US pop star Ariana Grande has insisted that she “loves” her country after a furore over a jibe she said was about obesity.

A video at a California doughnut shop showed Grande and one of her backing dancers playfully licking the sugary pastries while they were still on the counter.

The gossip site TMZ released the video and outrage erupted on social media over the comments by Grande who, upon seeing a new tray of doughnuts, is heard saying a profanity and then: “I hate America.”

As the controversy grew, the svelte 22-year-old said her remark came from her distaste for American overeating.

“I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American and I’ve always made it clear that I love my country,” she said in a statement.

“What I said in a private moment with my friend, who was buying the doughnuts, was taken out of context and I am sorry for not using more discretion with my choice of words.”

Grande, whose dance pop has rarely been political, called for greater awareness “about the dangers of overeating and the poison that we put into our bodies”. “We need to demand more from our food industry,” she said. Grande voiced concern that the United States “has the highest child obesity rate in the world”.

Amid the controversy, Grande was replaced as the headline entertainment for next week’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game by fellow singer Demi Lovato.

However, Grande said that the change was because she is undergoing oral surgery.