Adele’s one-night-only TV special, An Audience With Adele, aired on ITV in the UK on Sunday night and, of course, it was perfection. From her glittering gown to her voluminous side-swept waves, Adele looked like the true Hollywood glamour that she is, and we lapped up every single second of it.
Much like with Adele’s Oprah interview last week, the guest list for the concert at The London Palladium was stacked. It seemed like just about every British A-lister was in attendance, including Dame Emma Thompson, who was quickly trending online for her dancing, plus Emma Watson, Stormzy, Idris Elba, and many more.
Thankfully, the celebrities weren’t just there for our spotting, but instead, a few were tasked with asking Adele questions in an intimate Q&A peppered throughout the set list. It was easily our favourite part of the night, in part because she revealed some truly touching anecdotes from her childhood, but also because it was a rare insight into Adele’s wit and sense of humour that we haven’t had for such a long time.
Here are some of the best revelations from the night, courtesy of your favourite celebrities.
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If She Could Collaborate With One Person, It’d be Daniel Kaluuya
When asked who the one person she’d like to collaborate with was, Adele was quick to answer Daniel Kaluuya. Kaluuya, who’s best known for his roles in Queen and Slim and Black Panther, was in attendance at The London Palladium performance and looked visibly shocked as Adele explained that she thinks he’s an amazing actor (hear, hear), saying, “I just want to watch you work, I think I’d learn a lot.”
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Her Idol Isn’t Who You Think it Is
Since that Grammys speech, we’d assumed Adele’s number one idol is Beyoncé, but when asked the question by Hannah Waddingham (of Ted Lasso and Sex Education), she revealed that while Beyoncé is definitely one of her favourites, she’s not her idol. “You know I do love Beyonce,” she told the audience. “I can’t compare anything to Beyoncé because it’s like night and day. She’s one of my favourites, not one of my idols.”
It makes sense, since the pair peers at this point in their careers. So, who are the two women Adele really considers to be her true idols? None other than Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. Adele goes on, explaining that Midler and Streisand are unreachable in her mind and definitely reach idol status for her.
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Dame Emma Thompson Stole the Show
Dame Emma Thompson is, quite frankly, a national treasure and that was no different in <b>An Audience With Adele</b>. Not only did she throw her entire body into dancing to every song, like a woman after our own hearts, but she also asked the most emotional question of the night. “Under that beautiful dress, are you wearing any socks?” We’re kidding! Though she did ask that question (and Adele lamented that her stockings had fallen down and were baggy in the crotch), the most heartwarming question of the night was easily: “When you were younger, was there anyone who inspired you, protected you from all the trials and tribulations of the world?”
Adele answered immediately that it was her English teacher, Ms McDonald, who really inspired her and changed her life. “She taught English, but she also taught street dancing,” said Adele. “She was so bloody cool, engaging, and she really made us care and made us feel like she really cared. She was so likeable and relatable, and actually made me like her.” The next thing we knew, Ms McDonald was being ushered up on stage, causing everyone watching at home to simultaneously to burst into sobs.
Getty / Ian Gavan
The One Career Moment She’s Really Proud Of
When Idris Elba posed the question to Adele that, “You’ve inspired singers, you’ve created incredible albums – what’s one tiny moment that you’re most proud of?”, Adele admitted that it was overcoming a fear and performing at Glastonbury. She explained that she was asked to headline Glastonbury while watching the Kanye West set and was so caught up in the magic of a live Ye concert, that she agreed.
Adele continued, saying she didn’t think she’d ever actually show up for the set. And yet, she still got in her car, blasted Spice Girls music the entire way to the festival to calm herself down (relatable), and was proud of herself for turning up and actually doing the damn thing. Adele says, the reason she felt like she couldn’t perform Glastonbury was probably due to imposter syndrome, but admitted that she thinks imposter syndrome can actually be a good thing. Keeps us humble, I guess.
Getty / Ian Gavan
Stormzy and Adele Are Huge Fans of One Another
The final question of the night came from Stormzy, who asked Adele: “A lot of people get awkward when they meet their idols – have you ever gotten awkward when you’ve met an idol?” While asking the question, Stormzy admitted that when he met Adele a few years ago, he was awkward and star-struck and she revealed that they had a really lovely moment and just clicked from the second they met.
On who Adele met that made her fan-girl, she said it was Stevie Nicks. “I’m just a huge Fleetwood Mac fan – I love their melodies,” Adele told the audience. “I was pretty chilled out about going to see her in concert, but the moment I met her, I started crying and she had to go into icon mode and be like ‘oh, it’s alright,” she said with her signature humour. Sneaking one more in, Adele also said that she doesn’t know what she would do if she ever met Dwayne Johnson and, honestly, same.
