Adele performed live for a public audience for the first time in five years in London over the weekend. This mark a return to the spotlight for the singer, who has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent years. In a new interview with the BBC’s Radio 4 on Sunday, as reported by The Guardian, thee “Hello” credits her boyfriend, Rich Paul, with encouraging her to embrace the limelight again.
During the interview, Adele noted that she’s felt she had to behave like “such a recluse” in order to avoid public attention. But in trying to dodge the paparazzi, she’s missed out on truly living life to the fullest. “Sometimes it used to be two years and I wouldn’t be seen anywhere,” she explained. “I used to just hang out at home. But also I have a whole setup of how I move, and no one ever knows, just so I can go out and be completely carefree.”
The “Easy On Me” singer revealed her boyfriend, Paul, helped her gain perspective about just how much she was sacrificing to maintain a sense of privacy. “He’s like, ‘If you want to go to that restaurant, you should go and try the food at that restaurant and if you want to go to this birthday party, then you should be going. You can’t miss out on these things — what’s worst that can happen?'”
In a 2021 interview with British Vogue, the “Hello” singer previously revealed some of the men she previously dated felt insecure due to her fame. “I did date before Rich, but they hated it,” she said. “They find it stressful being out or seen with me, which meant that I guarded all of it beyond. It never evolved because we were never experiencing things together. Whereas he’s not frazzled by it at all. It feels like it’s consistent and considerate enough that I don’t care who knows.”
Adele, and Paul, 40, have been dating since the summer of 2021. Since their romance, the couple have been spotted courtside at NBA games, and even tearing up the dance floor at a friend’s wedding alongside LeBron James and his wife.
