Adele said she was «embarrassed» by her divorce, in an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The star said she felt like she had «disrespected» the idea of marriage when she separated from her husband, Simon Konecki, in 2018.
She added that «terrifying anxiety attacks» after the divorce prompted her to adopt an exercise regime that led to her losing 100lb in two years.
The US prime-time special marked her first TV interview about her new album.
It also saw the star perform a selection of new songs and classic hits at the scenic Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, in the shadow of the Hollywood sign.
Attended by stars like Lizzo, James Corden and Melissa McCarthy, the twilight concert was the first time Adele’s young son, Angelo, had seen her perform live.
«It’s the absolute honour of my life, baby, to have you here tonight,» she said.
During the show, the star even helped a local man propose to his girlfriend, Ashley – serenading the couple with Make You Feel My Love after the stunned bride-to-be said «yes» and burst into tears
Here’s @Adele singing the brand new track “I drink wine” from #Adele30 on #AdeleOneNightOnly.
Adele’s album “30” officially drops THiS Friday! #Adele pic.twitter.com/BnOs1NJom4
— Adele Global ³⁰ (@AdeleGlobaI) November 15, 2021
Adele was embarrassed by her divorce
«I’ve been obsessed with a nuclear family my whole life because I never came from one,» said the singer, whose father left home when she was just two years old.
«From a very young age [I] promised myself that, when I had kids, we’d stay together. And I tried for a really, really long time.»
Now 33, Adele said she first realised her marriage was crumbling when she took a personality test in a glossy magazine.
One of the questions asked, «what’s something that no-one would ever know about you?», and she blurted out to her friends: «I’m really not happy. I’m not living, I’m just plodding along.»
«They all gasped,» she recalled. «From there, I was like ‘What am I doing? What am I doing it for?'»
Although Adele was together with Konecki for eight years, she has previously said the marriage and separation both took place in 2018.
«I take marriage very seriously… and it seems like I don’t now,» she said, remorsefully. «Almost like I disrespected it by getting married and then divorced so quickly. I’m embarrassed because it was so quick.»
