Adele had a devastating childhood; after her father left her, she lost her grandfather at the young age of 10. His death made her want to become a heart surgeon, but her career has helped her heal wounds in a whole new way. After she released her debut album “19,” her mother called her a surgeon, saying she was fixing people’s hearts in a new way.
1. In her 20s, she was a ‘borderline alcoholic’
Adele admitted to Vogue in 2021 that the pandemic led her to drink more often and earlier in the day. She called being sober “boring” but admitted to a crowd at her Vegas residency, “I was literally borderline alcoholic for quite a lot of my 20s, but I miss it so much.”
2. Adele had throat surgery
Vocal cords are precious for singers, but in 2011, she performed live and felt something pop in her throat. She was diagnosed with a haemorrhaged polyp on her vocal cord, which required laser surgery. It happened again during her world tour in 2017, and she had to cancel the remainder of her tour. In 2024, she had to go on vocal rest once more.
3. The album “21” was inspired by a heart-wrenching breakup
A breakup inspired her album 21 with Alex Sturrock, a 31-year-old photographer, for a summer romance back in 2008. The relationship was reportedly intense, but Sturrock didn’t want to call Adele his girlfriend. After they split, he got engaged to someone else, and she turned her focus not just on her music but on alcohol, leading to honest and vulnerable lyrics.
4. She’s experienced postpartum depression
Adele is no stranger to mental health struggles. After losing her grandfather, she grieved so intensely that she required clinical help. She also struggled with postpartum depression, saying in a 2021 interview with The Face that she experienced a sense of losing herself, saying that a community of new mothers helped, and as her son got older, she was able to make more time for herself.
5. Paparazzi invaded her space with photos of her son
In 2013, Adele’s son, Angelo, was snapped by the paparazzi without her consent. She ended up suing the photo agency for damages, with her lawyer telling the High Court in London, “It is a matter of profound sadness that many of his milestone moments, such as his first family outing and his first trip to playgroup, were photographed and published worldwide expressly against his family’s wishes.”
6. A magazine gave her the epiphany that her marriage was over
After taking a magazine questionnaire, Adele revealed to Oprah that she realized she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Her album 30 is said to be a response to the divorce, with the song “Easy On Me” being about post-divorce life. Adele stated that the album was a way to explain to her son why she chose to “dismantle his entire life in the pursuit of my own happiness.”
7. Adele had severe anxiety post-divorce
While Adele hasn’t dealt with depression since having her son, she does deal with extreme anxiety, telling Oprah Winfrey that after her divorce, she had “terrifying anxiety attacks” that “paralyzed” her and learned that exercise would help reduce her anxiety.
8. She’s suffered from back problems since she was a teen
At 15, she slipped a disc from sneezing. More recently, she slipped her L6. She’s dealt with it by strengthening her core but still has flare-ups, like at a 2023 Las Vegas show when she collapsed and had to be picked up due to severe sciatic pain.
9. She was accused of cultural appropriation
On Instagram, Adele wore Bantu knots and a Jamaican flag at an outdoor party celebrating Carnival in Notting Hill. She was accused of culturally appropriating the hairdo, and told Vogue in 2021 that she saw why people thought that, and she should have been more aware, but decided not to take the photo down as a way to hold herself accountable for her actions.
10. Cancer took her father’s life
Adele’s father abandoned her, and they had a complicated relationship, but the two had reconciled by the time he passed away in 2021 from cancer. She made peace with him after her divorce, saying that her own breakup humanized her parents for her. She even played her album for him over a video call a week before he died.
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