Adele’s divorce agony
WHISPERS that Adele’s marriage was over grew in showbiz circles when husband Simon Konecki turned up at the Brit Awards in February without her.
At his side, instead, was former Eastenders actor and close pal Sid Owen.
The Hello superstar’s no-show at a prestigious event she has made her own over the years signalled an obvious Goodbye to their eight-year relationship, formally announced on Friday.
And as the pair are set for divorce talks which may see Simon entitled to a chunk of Adele’s €160million fortune, a friend close to the couple tells us today how the decision to split came after the pair had been living in “different worlds” for several months. Adele, 30, was loving life in the US while Eton-educated American Simon, 45, preferred to be in the UK close to friends and family.
But both are determined to remain as amicable as possible for the sake of their six-year-old son Angelo. Our source said: “The Brits were confirmation in a way. Everyone was hoping Adele would come but she stayed away. Things had already broken down for a while.
“Simon’s company Life Water sponsored the event and he was hosting a table.
“He invited Sid who has been a good friend to them both, supporting them throughout.”
Simon reportedly first met 47-year-old Sid – who played Ricky Butcher on the soap – during his troubled first marriage to fashion stylist Clary Fisher. “There were whispers running up to the Brits that Adele and Simon’s relationship was over, but Simon was in such a good mood at the party, everyone hoped it wasn’t true,” said the friend. The couple had last been seen together almost a month before the awards when they were snapped arriving backstage at an Elton John concert in LA.
Adele loves the scene on both the West and East coasts and has growing friendships with actresses like Jennifer Lawrence, 28, Emma Stone, 30, and Amy Schumer, 37.
BENDER
Her US friends have been comforting her as her three-year marriage crumbled – and last month they went on a bender in New York, where the star was seen doing shots and playing drinking games with Jennifer at a gay bar.
At one point the pair were drinking shots off the bar’s floor, collapsing into laughter and rolling around.
As the partying continued, drag performers invited Adele on stage and asked her to introduce herself. “Hi, my name’s Adele,” she declared, telling the crowd she was “actually at the moment a stay-at-home mum”. While she and Simon have been living separate lives, they’ve been ensuring Angelo shares time with them both.
The pal told us: “There is obviously sadness things have not worked out, but there’s a mutual love and respect to make their lives work as parents to Angelo. That is the priority for them now.”
Business associates of Adele have been telling how they felt the couple had managed to balance the singer’s love for the US and trips away with Angelo – but over time they had just “grown apart”.
The pair lived a quiet life after their marriage in 2016, spending time between Adele’s native London and Beverly Hills, where the couple bought a home. But the singer began to fall for life in the States where she was less recognised.
Our source said: “Adele found an exciting new social circle in LA and New York of strong Hollywood women who loved her for her humour and down-to
Adele liked US where she is less famous – they slowly grew apart FRIENDS SPECULATE ON REASON FOR SPLIT
earth ways. “Jennifer especially bonded with her and in the last 15 months they have become great mates.
“Adele became settled in that life, while all the girls doted on Angelo too.
“And it was not that Simon was staying away, but his charity business was booming and it meant he was travelling across the globe overseeing projects.
“He would be away in Africa and in the Indian subcontinent for weeks on end too. His passion for his cause and his success often took him away from his wife.
“So what were once a few days apart, became weeks. Adele also loves the climate of LA. Last winter she got so fed up with the cold that she came over to hang out in California. They had an unconventional relationship, but that had worked for so long. Some of us thought she liked it that way. But in the end they were barely together.”
PRIVATE
The Grammy Award-winning star met philanthropist Simon in 2011. He had left his investment banking job at Lehman Brothers in 2005 to found ethical water company Life Water. Funds from the firm assist the charity he runs Drop4drop, which supplies clean water to countries in need. Adele later described him as “perfect”. They tied the knot some time in 2016, though they managed to keep it under wraps until the following year. Adele has always been notoriously private about her relationship and only confirmed she married Simon when she won album of the year at the 2017 Grammys. In her acceptance speech, she said: “Grammys, I appreciate it. The Academy, I love you. My manager, my husband and my son — you’re the only reason I do it.” Weeks later she confirmed her nuptials on stage during her concert in Brisbane, Australia, in 2017. She told the crowd: “I was trying to remember how it was I felt at the beginning of the relationship that inspired that record. Because as bad as a break-up can be and as bitter and horrible and messy as it can be, that feeling when you first fall for someone is the best feeling on earth, and I am addicted to that feeling.
“Obviously, I can’t go through with those feelings because I’m married now.”
The singer gave birth to their son Angelo in October 2012. In a Vanity Fair cover story in December 2016, Adele opened up about her bond with the “confident” and “perfect” Simon for one of the first times, calling it “the most serious relationship I’ve ever been in”.
She added: “I have no desire to be with anyone in showbusiness because we all have egos. He’s not threatened by any stage of my life that I’m going for, and that’s an amazing thing.”
Private to the end, the couple confirmed their three-year marriage was over in a simple 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.”