Adele 'Felt Terrible' About Fan Backlash Over Her Weight Loss

While fans love Adele for her amazing vocals and chart-topping hits, she got a lot of attention for her surprise weight loss reveal two years ago. Since then, she has appeared several times in public, and her transformation still wows fans.

During an interview with Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio on Sunday, she opened up about some fans' reactions to her new appearance. "There were some other people who felt very betrayed by me," she said. She also "felt terrible" that fans criticized her weight loss and took it personally. Keep reading to find out more.

Adele was proud of her progress and body and thanked fans for their encouragement and positive comments. However, she was sad about the negative ones. She recalled feeling bad that she made people question their beauty and their bodies.

"I felt terrible for some people that felt like other people's comments meant that they weren't looking good or that they weren't beautiful," she said.  

Fans were first hit with the weight loss surprise when the "Easy On Me" singer shared a photo during the lockdown. In 2020, she posted a picture on Instagram celebrating her 32nd birthday. While some fans congratulated her and wished her a happy birthday, others criticized her for conforming to the typical beauty standards.

The star soon revealed that she got "quite addicted" to working out. This was after her divorce from her ex-husband Simon Konecki. Since she started working out, she has lost over 100 lbs, and fans have wondered what inspired her weight loss journey.

"It was because of my anxiety," she explained in an interview with Vogue. Working out also lifted her mood and distracted her from sadness. "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."

In an Instagram post, Pete Geracimo, Adele's former trainer, also spoke about her motivation to get fit. He wrote, "My hope is that people appreciate the hard work that Adele has done to improve herself for the benefit to her and her family only." 

He also noted that the mother of one didn't lose weight to make fans feel insecure about their bodies but she was "doing it for herself and for Angelo," her son.

When asked about the comments, Adele revealed to BBC (as per Newsweek) that she "felt terrible" about them. She also blamed herself for being private about her personal struggles. She believed that fans wrongly interpreted her weight loss as a thing about beauty, and she was sad. 

"Some of the ones I saw were young, they were like 15. And there were some other people who felt very betrayed by me, being like, 'Oh, she's given into the pressure of it,'" she recalled. She also hinted at some hard times she went through by noting that the backlash "didn't really bother" her because "you aren't holding my hand at 4 a.m. when I'm crying my heart out with anxiety and needing a distraction."

The star also revealed that she "understands" where fans were coming from and why they were curious. She insisted it was because she didn't give weight-loss details "like everyone else does."

In a previous statement to Oprah Winfrey on CBS Mornings, Adele noted that it wasn't her job to make fans feel good about themselves or to "validate how people feel about their bodies." She also recalled how much backlash she received about her body since the beginning of her music career. 

"My body has been objectified my entire career. I'm either too big or too small. I'm either hot or I'm not," the 15 Grammy Awards holder then noted that she was sick of it and didn't want to be criticized anymore. She is now more body positive than ever.

She continued, "I never looked up to anyone because of their weight. I was body positive then and I'm body positive now." "I feel bad that it's made anyone feel horrible about themselves, but that's not my job. I'm trying to sort my own life out. I can't add another worry."

This wasn't the first time the star spoke positively about her body. She noted in a 2021 interview with Vogue that she was proud of her body, and anyone else could be. While encouraging fans, she added, "You don't need to be overweight to be body positive, you can be any shape or size."