Adele, 35, has been in a romantic relationship with sports agent Rich Paul, 41, for a few years now. The “Hello” singer has made plenty of headlines, showing her love for the agent. In more recent months, the pair have sparked much speculation about whether or not they secretly got married, as Adele has referred to Rich as her “husband,” and called herself his “wife” during her concerts. Most recently, the singer appeared to confirm that they’d gotten married when she attended her friend Alan Carr’s comedy show. Two audience members told gossip account DeuxMoi that she called out, “I did,” when the comic asked if anyone had gotten married recently. Hollywood Life reached out to reps for the singer and agent for comment.
Before Rich, Adele was in a few relationships — and even had a 3-year marriage to one lover that sadly fell apart. Here’s a full history of the superstar’s past romances.
‘Mr. 19’
No, “Mr. 19” is not the actual name of Adele’s first reported beau. However, it is what fans have nicknamed the identity of the man who inspired Adele’s debut album 19, which boasts emotional songs like “Chasing Pavements” and “Make You Feel My Love.” Reports have said that this man cheated on Adele, but the singer has never confirmed this nor revealed who he is. However, she did divulge in a 2008 interview with The Guardian that she broke up with him via text message. ” ‘Babe I can’t do it no more,’ ” she claimed she wrote in the message. “I can’t believe I just told you that. And now I write it in songs. That’s what it is.”
‘Mr. 21’
Adele’s second album, 21, brought some of the singer’s most iconic songs, such as “Rolling In The Deep,” “Rumour Has It,” and “Set Fire to The Rain.” And like 19, fans once again tried to track down “Mr. 21.” Adele still hasn’t confirmed his identity, but the most common theory is photographer Alex Sturrock, who worked with the star on her ‘An Evening with Adele’ tour. Alex also was Adele’s date to the 2009 Grammy Awards, and she even thanked him during her acceptance speech for Best New Artist.
In a 2011 interview with Out magazine, Adele spoke about her emotional breakup with “Mr. 21.” “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for not making my relationship with my ex on 21 work, because he’s the love of my life,” she shared. “He made me really weak, but at the same time really f***ing fearless, so I managed to channel that. I don’t know if I’ll ever beat this album in terms of how people connect to it.”
Simon Konecki
Adele’s relationship with charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki, 47, began in mid-2011. The following year, the couple welcomed a son, Angelo James, now 8. When asked by Harper’s Bazaar in 2015 if her romance with Simon was the “ultimate love story,” Adele said, “I guess it is, I guess it is.” In March 2017, Adele confirmed that the two had gotten married.
Sadly, Adele and Simon’s marriage was not meant to be. The pair separated in April 2019, and Adele filed for divorce five months later. The divorce was finalized in March 2021. Since then, Adele and Simon have been focused on co-parenting their son. “They truly put their son first. it’s really admirable how civilized they are,” a source close to Adele told Hollywood Life exclusively at the time. “Right now, her focus is on being a mom and on her music.”
Since their split, it’s clear the former couple are on good terms. Simon even sat with Adele’s current boyfriend Rich Paul during a May 2022 London concert.
Skepta
In Sept. 2019, the same month that Adele filed for divorce, the singer was reported to be in a relationship with record producer Skepta. UK’s The Sun reported that the two had been in regular contact since Adele’s split from Simon. “Adele and Skepta have been there for each other a lot after both their relationships split up. They have a close bond and there’s definitely a special connection,” a source told the publication.
In Oct. 2020, a source told PEOPLE that Adele and Skepta were in fact dating. But the “Someone Like You” songstress seemingly denied this report with a message on her Instagram Story days later. “Happy Halloween! I’m going back to my cave now to be the (single) cat lady that I am,” she wrote. Neither Adele nor Skepta ever confirmed their alleged relationship.
Rich Paul
Adele made her first public appearance with Rich Paul, who is LeBron James‘ agent, on July 17, 2021 in the stands at the NBA Game 5 Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns. The pair seemed to be having a blast together, as they chatted and laughed while watching the on-court action. After the game, a source told E! News that the pair are dating. ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst also referred to Adele as Rich’s “girlfriend” on his The Lowe Post podcast. “This is the first time they’ve come out in public together, so this will be all over the tabloids, especially in England tomorrow,” Windhorst added.
Prior to the game, Rich seemingly hinted at his romance with Adele in a May 2021 New Yorker profile interview. He said he was “hanging out” with a pop star and that “she was over yesterday.” Rich never referred to his mystery woman by name. At the time, he also clarified his relationship status. “I’m not dating, I’m single. Put that in the story,” he told the publication.
A few months after the relationship rumors began, the couple went Instagram Official in September 2021. The pair had been spotted on plenty of romantic outings, and a few times they sparked marriage rumors when Adele was seen with a diamond ring on that finger.
While nothing about marriage has been officially confirmed, Adele has gushed about Rich on stage. She’s referred to him as her husband plenty of times throughout her 2023 Las Vegas residency. In June 2023, she said, “I intend to be married for the rest of my life to my man,” during a show.
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