Adele: 6 Takeaways From Singer’s Big CBS Interview With Oprah
Adele opened up to Oprah Winfrey on Sunday night as she discussed her new album, becoming a single parent, and her recent weight loss.
The multi-time Grammy-winner sat down with Winfrey in CBS’ Adele One Night Only special, which aire November 14, and included a pre-recorded performance by Adele at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. The star-studded concert was attended by the likes of Ellen DeGeneres, Lizzo, Drake, Kris Jenner, and more.
Here are six of the biggest takeaways we learned from Adele’s interview with Winfrey.
Her Weight Loss Was Caused By “Terrifying Anxiety Attacks”
Much has been said about Adele’s weight loss in recent years, but the “Someone Like Me” hitmaker said she isn’t “shocked or even fazed” by what people say.
She explained that her body transformation came about following her divorce as she found a way to cope with her anxiety attacks.
“I had the most terrifying anxiety attacks after I left my marriage. They paralyzed me completely and made me so confused because I wouldn’t be able to have any control over my body,” she said before adding that she started going to the gym every day as it helped her manage the anxiety.
“My body has been objectified my entire career. I’m either too big or too small; I’m either hot, or I’m not. But it’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies. I feel bad that it’s made anyone feel horrible about themselves – but that’s not my job. I’m trying to sort my own life out. I can’t add another worry.”
She Was “Disappointed” About Her Divorce
In 2019, Adele separated from her husband Simon Konecki just one year after they got married. The singer told Winfrey that she was “embarrassed” about the divorce and “disappointed” for herself and her son, Angelo.
“I’ve been obsessed with a nuclear family my whole life because I never came from one,” she said. “From a very young age, I promised myself that when I had kids, we’d stay together and we would be that united family and I tried for a really, really long time. I was just so disappointed for my son; I was disappointed for myself.”
She Is Still Friends With Her Ex-Husband
Despite the split, Adele stated that she is still close with her ex-husband and credited him with “saving her life” after she became famous.
“The stability that he and Angelo have given me, no one else would have ever been able to give me, especially at that time in my life. I was so young,” she said. “I could easily have gone down some pretty dodgy paths and sort of self-destructed. Even now, I trust [Konecki] with my life. I think they were angels sent to me; that’s how I feel.”
She Reconciled With Her Father Before He Died
Adele reconciled with her father, Mark Evans, after being estranged for many years; she even played him her new album on Zoom before his passing.
“His favourites were all of my favourites, which was amazing. He was proud of me for doing it. So it was very, very healing [and] when he died, it was literally like the wound closed up.”
Her New Album Is Dedicated To Her Son
Adele’s fourth album, ’30,’ is released this coming Friday, and the record is a way to show her son Angelo who she is, she explained.
“The whole album is not about him, it’s about me and I just wanted him to hear me talking madly deeply about who I am and how I feel. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to have that conversation with him in real life, so he can go and listen to it.”
Her Son Is Starting To Become Aware Of Her Fame
Angelo saw his mom perform live for the first time at the Griffith Observatory show, and he’s slowly starting to realize how big of a star his mother is around the world.
“The other day, he watched the Easy On Me video countdown… and he was like, ‘There was 150,000 people waiting!’ Then he read the comments and he was like, ‘People really like you!’. So he’s starting to get it a little bit, but not really,” Adele said.
