The singer, 33, has suffered from anxiety for years and used exercise as an outlet—a practice she ramped up when she was going through her divorce a couple of years back, as she revealed to Oprah Winfrey on CBS’ Adele One Night Only special on Nov. 14. “It was about the anxiety. I was still here but felt like my body was on a different planet," Adele revealed about why she decided to begin working out and lifting weights every day with a trainer. She added that she was having anxiety attacks and also wasn’t working at the time of her split from husband Simon Konecki, which made it hard to get through the day; planning weightlifting workouts in the morning, followed by hikes in the afternoon, were like “pins” she could put into her schedule to give her a sense of “purpose.” All in all, Adele confirmed to Winfrey that she lost “around” 100 pounds, but stressed that she felt good about her body both before and after her weight loss. “I was body positive then and I’m body positive now,” she explained. Adele also addressed claims that her weight loss has rubbed some fans the wrong way. “I’m sorry if [my weight loss] has made anybody feel terrible,” she told Winfrey. “I feel bad that it’s made anyone feel horrible about themselves, but it’s not my job to validate anybody about their weight…I’ve got my own problems!” Adele’s comments about her weight loss during One Night Only echo what she recently told Vogue. “I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety,” she told the outlet in a November 2021 cover story. She also admitted that in the past three years, she’s spent more time with her trainer Gregg Miele than anyone else. “All these other people have come out saying that they trained me,” Adele states. “F*****’ weirdos. I’ve never met them in my life!”
“It was never about losing weight”
While Adele did lose a significant amount of weight, that was never what it was about for her. “I thought, If I can make my body physically strong, and I can feel that and see that, then maybe one day I can make my emotions and my mind physically strong.” But this isn’t a new feeling for Adele: Her weight has always been scrutinized by the media. “My body’s been objectified my entire career,” she explains. “It’s not just now. I understand why it’s a shock. I understand why some women especially were hurt. Visually I represented a lot of women. But I’m still the same person.” Having others analyze your body and pick apart your flaws is anything but easy, she adds. “The most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body,” says Adele. “I was very disappointed with that. That hurt my feelings.” Along with working out regularly, her new boyfriend, Rich Paul, helps her maintain a healthy state of mind—and she’s feeling stronger than ever. Next, read Adele’s most inspiring quotes on confidence and body positivity.
Sources
Vogue: “Adele on the Other Side”Daily Mail: “Adele’s seven stone weight loss was ‘aided by a fitness guru who trained Lady Gaga and a personal chef recommended by Cameron Diaz’”
