Divorce, a proposal and new tracks: The key moments from Adele’s Oprah interview
Adele has spoken openly about her divorce, its impact on her son, and how people reacted to her weight loss in a wide-ranging interview with chat show legend Oprah Winfrey.
The 33-year-old also performed tracks from her new album 30 at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles on the CBS special, ahead of its release later this week.
Here are the key moments from her performances and interview on Sunday night.
Adele was worried her new album was a ‘bit too private’
Speaking to Winfrey in the same garden where the former chat show host interviewed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Adele said she was worried that her upcoming album, which she has previously admitted was written while going through her divorce, could be too personal.
“I think the reason I’m so brave to do it in my career so far is because music helped me in any situation and I would like to do the same for people who are so alone… to be reminded that they’re not alone,” she said.
“There were moments where I was writing the record and I thought that might be a bit too private, too about myself to put out.
“But nothing is as scary as what I’ve been through over the past few years behind closed doors.
“So I’m not frightened about what people might or might not do.”
Adele’s new album is released this week. Pic: Colombia Records
It was the first time her son Angelo had seen her perform live
Her performance during the two-hour special was also the first time her son, Angelo, had watched her perform live on stage – something she said made her nervous.
Adele also told Winfrey that 30 was dedicated to her son, and is a way of showing him “who I am”.
She said: “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.”
Also in the audience at Griffith Observatory were James Corden, Drake and Lizzo, with Adele telling the crowd she was s******* herself for the performance.
Adele with new partner US sports agent Rich Paul (centre). Pic: AP
Adele publicly addressed her weight loss – saying she wasn’t “shocked” by the reaction
She mentioned it briefly during her stint on Saturday Night Live, but Adele opened up to Winfrey about her weight loss.
The singer said that she had never set out to lose almost 100lbs (45kg), and that she always has been, and always will be, body-positive.
“My body has been objectified my entire career, I’m too big, I’m too small, I’m hot or I’m not,” she said.
“I never looked up to anyone because of their weight.
“I [was] body-positive then and I’m body-positive now – but it’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies.
“I feel bad if anyone feels horrible about themselves but that’s not my job. I’m trying to sort my own life out.”
She also boasted that she can now deadlift 160lbs (72kgs) and that she told her trainer she wanted to be an Olympian.
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We heard new tracks from 30 for the first time
We’ve already heard Easy On Me, her first single off 30, but Adele treated the LA crowd to three more tracks during her performance.
Fans heard I Drink Wine, Hold On and Love Is A Game, as well as the aforementioned Easy On Me from the new album.
The crowd also heard a number of classic Adele tracks including Hello, Rolling In The Deep and her Bond-theme Skyfall.
Two fans in the crowd got engaged with the help of Adele
Two loved-up fans, Quentin and Ashley, used Adele’s Griffith Observatory performance to get engaged – with the singer helping them out.
Adele asked the crowd to be quiet before Ashley was blindfolded and led on stage, where Quentin popped the question.
The singer then stepped out, stunning Ashley, and invited them to sit on the front row with Lizzo.
She then performed Make You Feel My Love, saying in-between lines: “She’s crying her eyes out!”.
30 is released later this week.
They’re getting through 70kg of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Yes, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.
It’s just the second time a Grand Tournament has been held outside of Japan – and this is a sport that has records going back more than 1,500 years.
It’s 34 years since the Royal Albert Hall hosted the only previous such event on foreign soil – and the appetite for tickets meant all five days sold out immediately.
Much of the focus is on the two grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and 75th men to attain the rank.
They’re the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this year became the quickest wrestler to achieve the rank in the modern era.
“I’m happy that Sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato said. “I hope I can show the UK fans how fantastic Sumo is.”
“Being a yokozuna has a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryu told Sky Sports. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that’s very difficult.
“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I’m happy to follow in his footsteps. But I came here to London as a yokozuna which he didn’t, so I’m even happier.”
The two are already great rivals.
Onosato Daiki became the quickest ever to achieve yokozuna rank. Pic: AP
At the recent Aki Basho – the most prestigious tournament on the sumo calendar – the pair finished with identical records after 15 days of bouts.
It all came down to a final play-off between the two yokozuna – the first time that had happened in 16 years. It was Onosato who came out on top on that occasion.
Hoshoryu says he is a big fan of basketball and football. He follows Chelsea, although his favourite players are going back a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper. I like this guy!”
Early starts and a hearty stew: The life of a rikishi
The wrestlers – or rikishi – have a rigorous training regime.
They live in communal blocks called stables and practice starts early. Perhaps surprisingly, everyone skips breakfast. After training and practice – and for the younger rikishi, chores – the wrestlers all eat together.
The staple of their diet is chankonabe, a hearty stew packed with meat and vegetables. The feeding of the 40 rikishi who have come over for the five-day tournament is a challenge in itself.
Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, said: “We are going through 70 kilos of rice a day. Somebody told me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles. We’re really pushing the system here.”
The ring – or dohyo – is just 4.55m in diameter and quite small when two giant wrestlers leap at each other.
The aim of the fights is to either get your opponent onto the floor – or, more spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators in the ringside seats may be getting extremely up-close to the wrestlers.
The last time the tournament was in Britain, the massive Konishiki, known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.
The giant Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kg – or 45 stone. That’s a lot of wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring towards you.
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The Royal Albert Hall may be firstly a concert venue, but it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.
And for the next five days, the cream of the world of sumo will be thrilling the crowds – provided a new noodle supplier is found.
What is a yokozuna?
Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo, with its name meaning “horizontal rope” and refers to the rope worn around a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.
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