Adele tells Oprah she been 'body positive my whole life' – here's the proof

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Watch: Adele responds to negative comments about her weight loss

Adele has always made it clear that she cares a lot more about her music, and the life story behind it, than she does about her weight. Yet it's rare that an interview goes by without the star, whose new album, 30, has recently launched, being asked about her shape.

Even her upcoming interview with Oprah, who has long been open about her own weight issues, touches on the subject.

Adele told the interviewer that she isn't "shocked or fazed” by the reactions to her dramatic weight loss and had not set out to drop almost 100 lbs, saying that she has always been 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 told Oprah.

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"I feel bad if anyone feels horrible about themselves but that’s not my job. I’m trying to sort my own life out.

“I can’t have another worry.”

Adele has attributed the majority of her weight loss to exercise, explaining that she loves lifting weights in the gym and at her strongest was deadlifting 160lbs, telling her trainers she wanted to win an Olympic medal.

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“I’m actually an athlete, I’m not even boasting,” she said. “I’m also a very good boxer, I’ve got a left hook that could kill you. If only at school I hadn’t discovered boys and someone had told me to go and do a bit more PE.”

The singer added, “I never looked up to anyone because of their weight. I’m body positive then and I’m body positive now.

“But it’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies."

Adele wins the British Female Solo Artist award on stage during the 2016 Brit Awards at the O2 Arena, London.
Adele wins the British Female Solo Artist award on stage during the 2016 Brit Awards. (AP)

In Vogue this month, she also explained why her weight loss appeared sudden, after she posted a snap to Instagram in May 2020 looking newly slim.

“I think one of the reasons people lost the plot was because actually, (the weight loss) was over a two-year period,” she explained.

"It was because of my anxiety. Working out, I would just feel better. It was never about losing weight, it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone," she said.

"I got quite addicted to it. I work out two or three times a day. I do my weights in the morning, then normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night. I was basically unemployed when I was doing it. And I do it with trainers.

"It’s not doable for a lot of people."

Adele promoting new album, <em>30</em>. (AP)
Adele promoting new album, 30. (AP)

Adele told the magazine that she needed to "get addicted to something (healthy) to get my mind right.

“It could have been knitting, but it wasn’t. People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey’. They’re used to people documenting everything on Instagram, and most people in my position would get a big deal with a diet brand... I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”

She went on, "People have been talking about my body for 12 years. They used to talk about it before I lost weight. But yeah, whatever, I don’t care.

"You don’t need to be overweight to be body positive, you can be any shape or size.”

Adele arrives at the 55th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013, in Los Angeles.  (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Adele at the Grammy Awards in 2013. (Invision/AP)

The singer also laid into the fake stories around her weight loss, explaining that she had never laid claim to the various methods being discussed.

“You know a hundred per cent of the stories written about me have been absolutely fake. The people that came out being like, ‘I trained her,’ I’ve never met in my life.

"It’s disgusting. I cannot get over it. Some Pilates lady I’ve never met in my life! And I haven’t done any diet."

Singer Adele arrives at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)
Singer Adele arrives at the Oscars in 2013. (Photo by Invision/AP)

Some reports claimed that Adele had embraced the Sirtfood diet, which focuses on detoxing and plant-based foods.

“Ain’t done that," she said. "No intermittent fasting. Nothing. If anything I eat more than I used to because I work out so hard."

LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 24: CBS revealed an extended preview and first look of the exclusive Oprah interview in ADELE ONE NIGHT ONLY, a new primetime special that will be broadcast Sunday, Nov. 14 (8:30-10:31 PM, ET/8:00-10:01 PM, PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. (Photo by Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images)
Adele's new look, achieved via exercise. (Getty Images)

One change she did make, however, was cutting out gluten, which she discovered she was allergic to after moving to LA. One symptom can be feelings of depression. “So, I was like, ‘Oh, great. Thanks, guys. Could have had a really fun twenties.’ ”

She explained her decision to get fit, "If I can transform my strength and my body like this, surely I can do it to my emotions and to my brain and to my inner well-being...that was what drove me. It just coincided with all of the emotional work that I was doing with myself as a visual for it, basically.”

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In the past, Adele regularly spoke out about body positivity, and has never suggested she was unhappy with her size or shape.

"I like looking nice, but I always put comfort over fashion," she told the Daily Mail a decade ago. "Be happy and healthy. I’ve never had a problem with the way I look. I’d rather have lunch with my friends than go to a gym.”

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Singer Adele and Rich Paul attend a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on October 19, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Adele and boyfriend Rich Paul at a Los Angeles Lakers game last month. (Getty Images)

She also said, "I think no matter what you look like, the key is to first of all be happy with yourself. And then you know if you want to try to improve things that you don't like about yourself, then do it after you appreciate yourself."

She was vocal about the fact that weight has always been irrelevant to her success.

"I’d lose weight if I was an actress and had to play a role where you’re supposed to be 40 pounds lighter," she told People magazine in 2012, "but weight has nothing to do with my career.

"Even when I was signing a contract, most of the industry knew if anyone ever dared say 'lose weight' to me, they wouldn’t be working with me.”

Watch: Oprah Winfrey meets Adele for 'first time ever' ahead of sit-down interview