Adele has broken her silence on her divorce from Simon Konecki, recalling the heartbreaking moment their son Angelo asked, ‘don’t you love my dad anymore?’
The singer, 33, and charity CEO Simon, 47, announced they were going their separate ways in April 2019, with Adele filing court documents five months later.
The couple – who dated for seven years and were married for two – co-parent their son Angelo, eight.
Speaking to American Vogue in her first interview in five years, Adele revealed she hopes her new album, in which she sings about her divorce, will help Angelo understand what happened when he’s older.
Split: Adele has broken her silence on her divorce from Simon Konecki, admitting her ‘entire life fell apart’ (pictured in 2013)
She explained: ‘He has so many simple questions for me that I can’t answer, because I don’t know the answer. Like, “Why can’t we still live together?”
“That’s just not what people do when they get divorced.” “But why not? “I’m like, “I don’t f***ing know. That’s not what society does.” And: “Why don’t you love my dad anymore?” And I’d be like, “I do love your dad. I’m just not in love. I can’t make that make sense to a nine-year-old.”‘
Adele also admitted she struggled with talking to their son about her separation, causing her so much anxiety that her therapist suggested she record herself speaking to Angelo so she could remember what had been said.
She told British Vogue: ‘Obviously Simon and I never fought over him or anything like that. Angelo’s just like, “I don’t get it.”
‘I don’t really get it either. There are rules that are made up in society of what happens and doesn’t happen in marriage and after marriage, but I’m a very complex person.’
Speaking to British Vogue in her first interview in five years, Adele explained: ‘When I was 30, my entire life fell apart and I had no warning of it’
She added: ‘When I was 30, my entire life fell apart and I had no warning of it.
Yet insisting there was no bad blood between the pair, she added: ‘It just wasn’t… It just wasn’t right for me any more. I didn’t want to end up like a lot of other people I knew.
‘I wasn’t miserable miserable, but I would have been miserable had I not put myself first. But, yeah, nothing bad happened or anything like that.’
Despite their separation, Adele has no regrets, saying she chose the ‘perfect person’ to have a child with.
Adele officially finalised her divorce in March this year following reports that she was forced to use mediators to split up her £140million ($190million) fortune during proceedings.
Adele in her own words as she makes huge return to the spotlight in British and US Vogue
On her divorce from Simon Konecki: ‘I was just going through the motions and I wasn’t happy. Neither of us did anything wrong. Neither of us hurt each other or anything like that. It was just: I want my son to see me really love, and be loved. It’s really important to me. I’ve been on my journey to find my true happiness ever since.’
On their son Angelo: ‘There were a few older girls who chased him around, asking if I was his mom. He was just like: ‘I think her name’s Adele, yeah. My mom. My mom.’ I’m not Adele to him. He felt like he was being bullied, because they were annoying him. I said: ‘That’s not bullying. Just say, Yeah, she’s my mom. She wiped my ass,’ she jokes.
On finding love with Rich Paul: ‘Rich just incredibly arrived. I don’t feel anxious or nervous or frazzled. It’s quite the opposite. It’s wild. I’m a 33-year-old divorced mother of a son, who’s actually in charge. The last thing I need is someone who doesn’t know where they’re at, or what they want. I know what I want. And I really know what I don’t want.’
On her weight loss: ‘It was because of my anxiety. Working out, I would just feel better. It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it. I work out two or three times a day. So I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night. I was basically unemployed when I was doing it. And I do it with trainers.’
On reconnecting with her father: ‘We actually got our peace, again contrary to reports. I played him my album just a week before he passed, over Zoom. One thing that definitely happened in my divorce was that it humanised my parents for me. Big time. I went to hell and back! And in that I found the peace to forgive him. He was ready to go and he lasted a long time with it. So thank you.’
In April 2020, Adele’s request to keep the details of her divorce private was granted by a court in LA.
In January, it was claimed that Adele was forced to use mediators to split up her £140 million fortune during her divorce from Simon.
The singer reportedly enlisted help to manage the terms of her settlement, which was finally filed earlier that month, two years after she split from the charity CEO.
Sources told The Sun that despite Adele and Simon’s breakup originally staying amicable, they had to use mediators to agree certain terms to their settlement.
It is thought that a majority of the disputes stemmed from dividing up the singer’s £140 million ($190 million) fortune, including their impressive £34.7m ($47.4m) property portfolio, after they agreed on joint custody of their son Angelo, eight.
Reports: It comes following reports that Adele was forced to use mediators to split up her £140 million fortune during proceedings (Adele and Simon pictured in 2017)
A source said: ‘They made it very clear they didn’t want to set lawyers on each other but the process hasn’t been exactly straightforward all the same. The priority was making sure they did right by their son, Angelo.
‘The first thing they agreed on was sharing custody, and since then it has been about dividing up the rest of their marital finances fairly.
‘Fortunately they have managed to get there without an explosive public court case, slanging matches or scandalous claims about each other, and that gives them the best possible chance of staying on good terms in the future.’
MailOnline contacted representatives of Adele for comment at the time.
A timeline of Adele’s doomed marriage
2011 – Couple start dating
January 2012 – First pictured together on holiday in Florida
June 2012 – 24-year-old Adele announced she was expecting her first child, confirming the news on her blog
October 2012 – The couple’s son, Angelo was born on October 19. Adele would later describe motherhood as ‘hard but phenomenal’
2014 – Adele took a break from performing following the enormous success of her 2011 album 21, and her Oscar win for the theme from James Bond film Skyfall
December 2014 – Rumours swirl that couple have split. Singer denies reports in rare public statement on Twitter, writing: ‘Just wanted to wish everyone happy holidays & all the best for 2015! PS Simon & I are still very much together, don’t believe what you read x’
2016 – Couple marry in secret
2017 -Adele announces marriage while picking up the Grammy for album of the year in February 2017
April 2019 – Adele’s representative said in a statement: ‘Adele and her partner have separated. They are committed to raising their son together lovingly. As always they ask for privacy. There will be no further comment.’
October 2020 – The singer was linked to British Grime Artist Skepta, 38 but she insists she is single
November 2020 – She shows off her incredible 100lb / seven stone weight loss
January 2021 – The couple reach a divorce settlement yet a judge is still required to sign off the final paperwork to make things official
March 2021 – The couple reportedly finalise their divorce after a judge signed off on the settlement
