For years now, Adele has kept her private life on lockdown. We really only know what she wants us to know. That’s why many of us were surprised by the announcement of her separation from Simon Konecki, who is reportedly her husband but may just be her long-time partner. We only knew anything about Simon because of the rare information Adele gave us about him. So in the wake of the split announcement, some weird narratives are cropping up. I tend to hope that it was a mutual split, a gradual “growing apart” and that everything is being handled maturely. But the “Adele became a huge star and that’s why they grew apart” narrative has taken hold, and it bugs. From E! News:
A source is telling E! News the two decided to go their separate ways because “they just grew apart.”
“They had a lot in common early on, but eventually they just grew apart,” the insider shares. “She became a bigger and bigger star, and he was okay [with] being in the background, but as she got bigger and had massive tours and intense schedules, they just grew apart.”
The source reveals they plan to “keep this amicable,” especially since “they have Angelo together.” They welcomed their first child together back in October 2012; their son is 6-years-old. Because they are reportedly going to co-parent their son, the source believes “it’s highly unlikely this is going to get ugly.”
I’ve seen a few sites mention this idea of “Adele got so famous and that’s why they grew apart,” almost like he couldn’t handle her fame. But the thing is… she was crazy-famous when they first got together. She was already one of the biggest musical acts in the world. She took years off to be a mom too. And then as soon as she releases a new album and completes a world tour, suddenly that’s when all their problems started? If that’s true, I’m so mad at Simon. Also: People Mag makes it sound like Simon wasn’t very involved in Angelo’s daily life:
In the case of Adele and husband Simon Konecki, it appears that absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder. The “Hello” singer (born Adele Adkins) and Konecki, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, announced their split on Friday after nearly seven years together. In the years prior, the couple “always seemed like they didn’t have very much family time together,” an insider tells PEOPLE.
“Adele and Simon’s relationship never seemed traditional,” the insider continues. “Throughout their relationship when Adele was in Los Angeles, weeks would sometimes go by before they were spotted together. Simon always seemed to do his own thing while Adele was spending time with [their son] Angelo in L.A.”
Though the pair and their son — whom they welcomed on Oct. 19, 2012 — were seldom spotted on public outings together, the insider says that “Adele always seemed very happy” in the rare instances that they were.
While doing school runs, the singer is “unrecognizable,” the insider says. “She takes him to the park or on a hike and to birthday parties for his friends. It’s clear that she tries to create a happy and normal childhood for Angelo.” Another source adds that “it was very important to Adele that Angelo had somewhat of a normal life.”
“Her schedule seemed crazy, but you could tell her number one focus was her son,” the source says. “Most days, she dropped him off at preschool or camp. Very rarely, an assistant did the drop-offs instead.” The source says that Konecki, 45, on the other hand, “wasn’t very involved at the school.”
It pains me to think that Adele moved to LA several years ago and that she’s basically been living as a single mom all this time and we didn’t know it. God, her next album is going to HURT. It’s going to make me cry. Haaallo from the ooooother siiiiidddde…
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I always got the feeling Simon was a rich hanger on. Like he wanted to buy Adele in the same way one would buy a doll and she would do his bidding.
I don’t know, he just seemed shady to me. I could be wrong. He could be the nicest guy but I always got shady vibes.
It’s so strange, I had the same feeling as well. Based on nothing at all, I mean I know nothing about the guy, but I found him shady AF. Glad she got away from him and if they were married, I hope she had a solid pre-nup
Wasn’t he 36 and she was 22 when they got together? *Side-eye*. He looks like Steve Wozniak.
With a dash of Ben Affleck. Eww.
I’d like to know in what way he is a “philanthropist”? Whose money is he using to do this? His or hers?
If I wasn’t already married, I’d get with Adele. Love her. Can’t wait to hear her next album.
““Throughout their relationship when Adele was in Los Angeles, weeks would sometimes go by before they were spotted together. Simon always seemed to do his own thing while Adele was spending time with [their son] Angelo in L.A.”
Does he have a more normal job? I mean, when she’s not touring she has a pretty flexible schedule. She also took time off of work to have the baby and to spend time with him. The whole “spotted together” part bugs me though. It makes it seem like they’d go weeks without seeing each other when it sounds like it was weeks between SIGHTINGS. Which – if he’s working a somewhat normal job, and she’s taken time off – of course they’re not going to be attached at the hip.
I don’t know man. I hope it’s a mutual decision. But the whole “he can’t handle her fame” can go both ways. It could be just that. Or it could be the equivalent of “YOURE JUST JELLY!” and blaming actual relationship problems that are unrelated to her career on him being ‘uncomfortable’ with her fame. If anything – she was more obsessed over during the earlier years of their relationship, so it seems strange for that to suddenly be an issue.
He founded an “eco-friendly” water company. He comes from money, had money, and made even more from this last venture. So yes, he travels for business. But being head honcho gives him *some* leeway as to where and how much. Let’s face it, with Face Time, Skype, all manner of video-teleconferencing, he didn’t “have” to be anywhere he didn’t want to be most of the time. And Adele has said pretty often, she hated touring, and was giving it up after this last world tour. She would record, and do the odd show perhaps, but that was all.
One thing we didn’t consider…we automatically assume HE couldn’t handle her fame etc… but what if her fame got to HER (went to HER head)? That she wanted the celebrity life and he wanted a more quieter one with her and their kids (he has a daughter, too).
Regardless, as big a fan as I am, not my business (though of course I’m nosey and want to know lol. I AM on a gossip site daily!).
I tend to project my own feelings a lot, but I wonder if he was more a socially anxious introverted person and being “spotted” out and about would make me not want to go out and have quality time inside instead. Maybe they disagreed about how to spend quality time and that was part of the demise as well.
I think this might be one of the causes of the split. I can’t help but think to Madonna and Guy Ritchie. She was a superstar he was successful on his own, after she had the first child she was away for a while, and then child again, and when she went back on tour everything fell apart.
Eh. Those two could have split up for 8 million different reasons, not the least of which being the fact that they’re both egotistical assholes.
@KITTEN…
SCREAMING AT YOUR COMMENT!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m a private person, and I don’t think I could handle it either. Heck, I never predicted my Chihuahua would get as much attention as she gets when we go out, and it makes me uncomfortable sometimes lol. I can’t imagine being with a star like Adele. Maybe he thought he knew what he was getting into and it was just different than he expected, who knows. Wish the best for both of them.
hahah superstar Chihuahua. I love it
@Eleonor
There’s something about Chihuahuas, isn’t it? The other week a dude tried to take a picture of my dog without asking. Excuse me? The other people at least asked. So many people try to strike up a conversation with just a single word like “cute”. I live in a country where this is very out of the ordinary and makes me uncomfortable. I can’t imagine how it might be for a person being with Adele either. I love how I can disappear into crowds. Or stand out if i want to. But I can influence it.
hahaha…I was at an event a few weeks ago and there was a woman carrying a VERY TIRED all white/blue-eyed Pittie puppy. I totally SQUEEEEEEE-d and she smiled. I asked if I could pet him (she said sure) and if I could take a pic and she was like “okaaaaaay?…” I said “it’s for my boyfriend, he loves dogs but couldn’t be here today” and THEN she was like “awwww, that’s so nice of you!”
Wow, my dogs (part chihuahua, part pug, part who knows what else), get loads of attention wherever we go and I don’t mind at all. Maybe they will think about adopting a dog, too! If you are out walking with a cute dog, I will stop and say hello. To the dog. 🙂 I will ask the dog’s name. I have never had anyone not be proud of introducing their dog to me.
I’ll say, I’m not a jerk and I of course let people pet and ask questions 🙂 but dang, I never expected that at all when we got her! Something about tiny dogs!
I’m pretty introverted, random people starting to talk to me out of the blue or approaching me to touch my dog without asking make nervous. A few months ago a man startled me as I was about to cross the street. I was carrying my dog and he reached out from behind me to pet her. This is not okay. And he was definitely not the first one. Friendly greeting my dog, asking her about her favorite treats (all of them!) is not an issue. 😀
It seems like this is common for female musicians. They go on tour, their male partners can’t handle it, they start to have problems and the couple splits up. It’s sad and it makes you wonder where are the men who are willing to make some sacrifices for their relationship or their family? It’s sad, really.
Not so many out there, in my experience. For a while I was making more money than my partner … he never said anything, but I could tell he didn’t like it. Now that I’m doing more contract based work he’s making more and you can see he prefers it. He tries not to, but I swear it’s how they are raised. I definitely plan to be earning more again soon, so let’s see how he manages it.
Been in that situation. And yes, sometimes it’s hard to get past the way you were raised and grow into your own person. Money/lack of money/who th8nks they control the money is a big issue in a lot of relationships, IMO.
I agree that this can happen, but in this particular case the man is wealthy, connected, and runs in upper class circles. To many Brits those things are actually preferable to the new money and success that Adele has, which don’t translate to high status among the Eton set that he’s part of. I just don’t think this break-up was caused by this.
He looks like Jack Black in that car photo.
The fact that she was famous before they got together does not negate the possibility her fame and success became the things that drove them apart. People (both men and women) tend to overlook a lot of things they may be bothered by in the beginning of a relationship. Also, not sure what he does, but in the span of seven years his professional life may ha e stalled or got somewhat worse and that will create tension in a relationship with partner with high demand job. Plus, men always think thay women need to change once they grace our lives with their partnership.
The second report is just sad. She does take a lot of time off and she has means, so it is just sad if he just did not want to be a family with her and their son. So I stand by my original position that I don’t like him. He is sketchy.
Lol you literally know nothing about the man. I get that we all love Adele but it’s unfair to paint a picture of him as the bad guy with literally no evidence to back that up. Relationships fail all the time. There doesnt always have to be a bad guy. They were together seven years. It could simply be that they grew apart.
@Valiantly Varnished 7 years means nothing. They got married because she was pregnant.
I know someone who got married after getting his girlfriend pregnant, then had 2 other children with her because he didnt want his children to have different mothers but loathed for his child to be an only child. And they got divorced after a 15 year marriage because he never wanted to be married to the woman in the first place, but thought it would be the right thing to do since he impregnated her. He ended up being suicidal because of his deep unhappiness about the shitty marriage and decided to get a divorce because he was afraid he would kill himself.
The length of a marriage says nothing about the reasons for getting married or the strength or happiness of the marriage.
@KLO you completely missed the point of my comment – which was that in seven years of marriage a lot can happen to drive people apart. And it doesn’t mean that anyone is the bad guy. As for your comment. It seems to be more about your friend than it does with what may or may have happened with Adele and her husband. And you seem to be projecting a lot of that onto this scenario.
That doesn’t seem to be about fame but about two partners wanting two different lives and eventually realizing this. If Adele was in LA all the time – which is interesting to me because she was such a British girl and had been living full time in the UK right up until her last tour – and Simon was in the UK then there’s the issue right there. It could be that he didn’t want to uproot his whole life and move to a different country. And that’s fair. It’s also fair that Adele wanted to be where she wanted to be. My feeling is that they tried to do the long distance deal and but that doesn’t work when you have a family together. I don’t get the feeling that Simon was jealous or cared about her fame. But I could definitely see them splitting up simply because they were never together.
Apparently they physically separated before last Christmas. There is a public deed stating Adele gave him title to one of their homes in Van Nuys (part of a settlement?), said to be “near where his co. headquarters are”, so he does have some work here, too. But he does have a daughter, in England, from his first marriage. He is said to like to be in London more than stateside, so a big “hunh?” from me on that. Adele has been quoted saying she wants her boy to get an education in England, and he is school aged; also, her mum, whom she’s very close to, lives there…
I don’t know what I’m getting at *¯\_(ツ)_/¯*, but it could just be as simple as they were fine while she WAS busy, recording and touring, but when she took off and they were together ALL the time, it was too much. Perhaps they just grew apart, which can happen too. He is older than she is, perhaps as she “grew up”, they weren’t as compatible? Who knows.
Either way, I just hope they all find happiness in this next chapter, and that the kids are ok. (And I’m also hoping for awesome new music! It been put out a CD is due out in Dec.).
VAN NUYS????!!!! What the s–t????!!!!!!!! Adele really is a “down-to-earth” celebrity if she used her ginormous fortune to buy a home in VAN NUYS. Sheesh. I get it if you don’t want to live in Beverly Hills or Bel Air or Brentwood, but at least look at Santa Monica or Venice, lady. Or West Hollywood or Mid-Wilshire or Culver City or Los Feliz or…………..
Frankly, when I read “Van Nuys”, that was my reaction, too. It is NOT a “good” or “upscale” area. I think that had to be a mistake. I had read she had a home near the beach (she was frequently at one of the parks in the Palisades with Angelo), and one up in the Mulholland area Beverly Park (she came down to Bristol Farms market on Beverly and Doheny a lot, too).
Phew! Thanks, THE OG@Jan!!! I was a little distressed for this poor naive English Rose multimillionaire who somehow got duped into buying a home in Van Nuys!!!!!!! If you say that there have been sightings in Pacific Palisades and what sounds like the Laurel Canyon area, GREAT. Those are much more appropriate neighborhoods for a megastar. (Maybe *he* had a house in Van Nuys and she paid off the rest of his mortgage for him so it was technically community property? Other ppl are saying he had his own money before the marriage, but maybe as the doc says he bought there b/c it was convenient to his company HQ?)
I really doubt it’s actually her “fame”. He’s basically been with her during much of her meteoric rise. If that was the real problem they would’ve split during the hoopla surrounding her last album… not a couple of years later when they’re living in relative obscurity.
Realistically, they were a happy in-love couple, who had an unplanned pregnancy fairly early into their relationship. In their case unplanned didn’t equate to unwelcome and both seem to have dedicated themselves to their little family. But people grow over the years, priorities and feelings change. I just wish the best for them both and their son.
eh, I would buy the “grew apart” thing.
she was 22-23 when they got together. a LOT of women (men, too!) don’t know themselves at that age, or are willing to compromise their wants and personalities to attract/keep their partner. and if you ADD to that the touring schedule and yes, maybe a bit of jealousy, it was bound to end. I wish her well, she’s so talented and, from everything I’ve heard, a really wonderful person.
I’d buy that too.
She was already super famous and successful when they got together, but she was also very young, and I believe he’s a good 10-15 years older than her. The “grew apart” theory is far more likely than “he can’t handle her success” stuff, but I guess that doesn’t generate the same headlines, and we know the tabloids love to knock successful women.
It really COULD be that simple. People change. *shrugs*
On her tour, there was some stop where the confetti that was part of the finale was all love notes from Simon. Does anyone else remember that? I think it was on her birthday. I’m not very romantic, so when I read that I thought it was over the top in an overcompensating way. Like gushing all the time on Facebook and then divorcing.
I do remember that! I remember giving the few I caught to the young girl in front of me, because she didn’t get any 😊
She was always “gushing” about her “man”; her grammy speech was dedicated to him and his support, and how she couldn’t do all this w/out “her husband and their son”, that was our only “tell” that they’d finally gotten married.
I’m always suspicious of couples who are extra on social media…
Same. If you’re really content in your relationship you don’t feel the need to scream about it to the world day in and day out. Also, nobody cares.
Is entrepreneur and philanthropist code for bum? It seems like if he had an actual job they’d have said that – business owner or runs a nonprofit. Entrepreneur is what goes on the dating profile of the guy who still lives on his mom’s couch.
Still lives on Moms couch..ha! I always think that too. Why not just say what type of business he owns/runs?
I like Adele, she has real talent and a beautiful voice, a healthy child and more money than she will ever be able to spend. She was young when they got together, grown apart is very possible.
My buzzer says that he cheated on her.
I just two words for Simon – GOLD DIGGER
He came from money, made a lot of money on his own, then founded his own water company. He has big money on his own (though not “Adele-sized” money.
Yeah, I don’t think this is about her fame or her schedule. She was already famous and wealthy when they got together, and if anything she’s backed away from the spotlight a bit since then. She’s also not going to be touring that much in the future, not with her voice problems. She’s already pretty limited in how much she can perform before her voice goes, and that’s not going to get better. They aren’t breaking up because she might tour for a month or two every few years.
She was young when they got together, and then they had a child. Between the move to LA and their child starting school, it wouldn’t be surprising if she started reassessing some things last year.
Oh no is she having voice problems already? I know that most truly great pop singers run out of voice at some point (probably the relentless touring schedule plus smoking and not sleeping very much), I just thought Adele had more time to be in great voice, she is so young still.
Not an expert, but I *think* that the issue with pop and rock singers is that they are typically not trained so they frequently sing in a way that damages or at the very least strains their vocal cords. I imagine some of them get a voice coach if they get famous and have the money to spare but perhaps by that time either the damage has been done and is irreparable or the bad technique is so ingrained, or perhaps even integral to their style, that it’s too difficult to change?
Of course, unhealthy lifestyle choices are contributing factors, but I seem to recall a voice coach analyzing Whitney Houston’s voice problems. I believe that it was before her death but was republished after she died. Long story short, while her drug abuse certainly contributed to problems with her voice, this person also pointed to signs of bad or improper technique and control that may have played a significant role in her vocal problems toward the end of her life.
How old was Charlotte Church before her voice declined? Pretty young, IIRC.
I think it’s a combo of poor technique and lifestyle (smoking, etc.). And I’m not sure Adele will ever tour again. You can hear a noticeable difference between the recordings and how she sounds live (although nowdays, technology can “fix” even live performances).
Thanks for that interesting info on pop/rock stars’ voice problems, maxine ducamp and Mrs.K. I guess I just never expected someone to lose their power voice while still in their 20s, or even have any vocal issues at that age. My personal all-time fave singer, Paul McCartney, who had no formal vocal training at all, and who was an inveterate smoker of both tobacco and marijuana, and who was in a band with the most notoriously grueling touring schedule in history (and although they didn’t tour after ’66, Macca took up grueling tour schedules again in the 70s), was in full voice well into his 40s. I would even say that he had full range and power till about 48, 49 years old. But maybe that’s because, as much as he exercised his higher register (his “scream” voice on Maybe I’m Amazed, Helter Skelter, the end of Hey Jude, etc.), he didn’t sing mult-octave power ballads every night for years, as female pop vocalists have been doing since the 80s (Whitney and Mariah onwards).
Adele was trained though. She attended the same academy as Amy Winehouse (I remember seeing pics Adele posted of them). “She graduated at the BRIT School for Performing Arts, during which she started working on her first record, Hometown Glory. Along with vocal training, she was learning song-writing and production techniques…”
https://www.quora.com/How-did-Adele-get-discovered-as-a-singer
Adele had polyps on her vocal chords; it’s not uncommon for singers/people who “over extend” their voices. Sam Smith had the same surgery. So did Julie Andrews, who unfortunately, didn’t have stellar results. She now “talk sings” very rarely (she did for one PBS special-I *think* it was PBS…or maybe it was the Kennedy Center Honors, can’t remember). But her voice was totally affected.
If Adele is planting the stories, she is doing a great smear job while coming out looking like roses, no infidelity, no wandering eye, just his indifference as a parent and insecurity as a man. Boom.
Wasn’t Simon married when they met? Just curious whether he’s got a chronic wandering eye.
I saw something that said he was divorced for several years before they got together.
Didn’t she recently say she was retiring from touring? Was that a last ditch effort to make this work?
She did. She even said it during her last concert tour, on stage. She said that after this tour (for 25), she was taking a lot of time off for her son, and that while she would record, she wouldn’t tour again like this world tour she was on (at the time); she might do a gig or two, but nothing “big”. Of course…best laid plans… so, while I won’t hold my breath for a world tour, maybe a concert or two (if you’re listening, Adele…come back to LA! 😊 )
Not every couple who spend a lot of time apart for work etc. end up splitting but for many people once the over gushing stage subsides it helps to have experiences together not only big things like a vacation but the things that make up your daily life or that you enjoy that provides a foundation for more difficult times or perhaps just in the blah times. Memories may not be enough.
No man is much better than the wrong man. I wish her luck in the future.
To the point about pop singers voices only lasting so long…I have also heard this.
Steve Perry, original lead singer of Journey, was said to have “blown” his voice out. Perry who had a huge success in Journey and as a solo act, stopped touring for many years.
I think the constant touring and big arena shows for years on end really shorten singers careers. And of course, age, health troubles, drug use, drinking, smoking all cause the voice to change.
I would think pop singers vs. Opera singers have very different training/use of voice.
I continue to be flabbergasted that any professional singers smoke.
Yes to what will be an amazing next album!
Here comes 31.
Superficial comment, but she is rocking the hell out of that green dress. Wowza!