Adele Gets Emotional During Reunion With Individual That Changed Her Life on UK Special

Adele remembers those she’s encountered in her life that made a lasting impact. While performing a special for ITV, the British-born powerhouse vocalist shared fond memories of a teacher who made her feel special. She became overwhelmed with emotion when she realized her old teacher from Chestnut Grove School in Balham, South London, was watching from the audience. The “Easy on Me” singer was shocked when she made the discovery.

Actress Emma Thompson posed a question that sparked the memory. She asked Adele, “My question is, when you were younger, was there someone who, kind of supported you and inspired you, or, you know protected you from all the trials and tribulations of life and inspired you to go on?”

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Adele gushed over her former teacher. “Yeah I had a teacher at Chestnut Grove who taught me English,” she replied. “That was Miss McDonald. She left when I was in year eight. It was just one year, but she got me really into literature. I’ve always been obsessed with English and obviously now I write lyrics. She was so bloody cool. So engaging, she really made us care and we knew she cared about us.” Adele added that Miss McDonald was “relatable and likeable” and she anticipated going to her class.

It didn’t take long for Adele to suspect that Miss McDonald could have been in the crowd.”Is she here?” Adele asked Thompson. “She’s here tonight,” Thompson responded. 

Adele burst into tears as she saw her old teacher walk through the crowd toward her. They embraced in a big hug when Miss McDonald made her way onto the stage, telling the singer, “Thank you for remembering me.” Adele responded: “Oh my God, you really changed my life.”

Adele is in the middle of promoting her fourth studio album, 30. Much of the record is inspired by her divorce from Simon Konecki. Her single, “Easy on Me,” has already been streamed 6 million times on Spotify.