Adele, the queen of broken hearts who has built a career on weepy ballads, is a happy gal these days. And the acerbic British singer-songwriter seems to credit some of her good fortune to her boyfriend, sports agent Rich Paul.
The “Easy on Me” balladeer has praised the Klutch Sports Group founder, 39, and has been surprisingly open with journalists about their relationship in a number of interviews leading up to her new album, “30,” which will be released Friday.
On Sunday, the powerhouse singer discussed Paul with Oprah Winfrey during her CBS special, “Adele One Night Only,” gushing over her new beau, his sense of humor and wits. Paul also posted a few behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram showcasing moments from the prerecorded sit-down interview.
“He’s just hilarious,” she told Winfrey. “Oh, he’s so funny, he’s hilarious, yeah. And very smart. You know, he’s very, very smart. It’s quite incredible watching him do what he does.”
The 33-year-old described the “easiness” of their relationship and noted that it’s the first time she’s “loved myself and been open to loving and being loved by someone else.”
“It’s just timing,” she added. “But it’d be interesting to see what my reaction is like in general to anything that hurts me now that I feel so secure in myself, and I’m talking outside of romance as well.”
She and Paul, who Forbes has deemed “one of the sports world’s most polarizing figures” and listed him among the world’s top 10 most powerful list in 2020, raised eyebrows when they stepped out together in July. That’s when they were photographed attending Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks. They showed up with one of Paul’s clients and longtime friend, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, and have taken in a few more games ever since.
Adele and Paul’s joint appearance this summer came two months after the Cleveland native teased in a New Yorker profile that he had been “hanging out” with a major pop star, who wasn’t named in the piece. Though he insisted in the article that he wasn’t dating and was single.
However, the 15-time Grammy winner has been more forthcoming while promoting her “comeback” album — her first in six years — that emotionally dissects her life during and after her divorce from Simon Konecki and her self-proclaimed “Saturn return.” Adele has said she was devastated and embarrassed by her divorce, quit drinking and started working out to help her feel “centered.”
Speaking to Winfrey, Adele credited Konecki for being a positive influence while they were married too.
“I think Simon probably saved my life, to be honest. He came at such a moment, whereas the stability that him and [our son] Angelo have given me, no one else would ever have been able to give me, like, especially at the time in my life. I was so young, and I just think I got a bit lost in all of it.”
