Her pillar of support — literally! Mariah Carey held onto new beau Bryan Tanaka’s hand during her performance at the VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night show in Brooklyn on Friday, December 2.
The pop icon was all dolled up in a low-cut, glittery red Nutcracker-inspired leotard as she performed “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” According to an eyewitness, “Mariah and the backup dancer were very energetic” as they made their way around the stage.
At one point, several of Carey’s dancers hoisted her up onto their shoulders as she continued to croon, and the Mariah’s World star reached out her left hand to hold tightly onto Tanaka’s right.
The pair, who are rumored to be dating, weren’t shy with their PDA during a recent trip to Hawaii. On Monday, November 28, the 33-year-old dancer and the “Fantasy” singer locked lips and goofed off in the sand and surf.
“They were all over each other, making out and not wanting to be more than a few feet apart,” an onlooker told Us of the lovebirds. “They swam in the ocean and he picked her up to kiss her. She was jumping into his arms, and he bent her back over his knee like they were dancing.”
“They had a lot of fun together and were very playful,” the source added. “She was kicking up the water to splash him, and he was laughing.”
Carey and her fiancé, Australian billionaire James Packer, called off their engagement less than a month ago following a trip to Mykonos, Greece. There, the 48-year-old casino mogul dumped Carey while they were planning their vows aboard his yacht.
“It was like Jekyll and Hyde,” a Carey pal told Us of the couple, who became engaged after dating for just under one year. “Suddenly he’s like, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’”