Adele Opens Up About the Internet’s Obsession With Her Weight Loss: ‘It’s My Body’

In honor of her impending album, Adele opened up about, well, everything in her first interview in five years.

Mostly, the singer opened up about the source of inspiration for her fourth studio album: her divorce from Simon Konecki, wading back into the dating pool, and what she wants to teach her son, Angelo. Giles Hattersley, who spent time with Adele for British Vogue, described one song he listened to as a scathing takedown of “the failings of men.”

“I wanted to put it on the album to show Angelo what I expect him to treat his partner like, whether it be a woman or a man or whatever,” Adele explained. “After going through a divorce, my requirements are sky-high. There’s a very big pair of shoes to fill.”

Aside from her music, though, Adele also opened up about her weight loss—or, more accurately, the internet’s endless obsession with it. “I think one of the reasons people lost the plot was because actually, it was over a two-year period,” she theorized.

In fact, she speculates that fans were confused by her “100-pound” weight loss because she didn’t Instagram her process. “People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey,’” Adele said. “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 couldn’t give a flying fuck. 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.”

However, Adele insists that weight loss was never her goal. “It was because of my anxiety. Working out, I would just feel better,” she told Vogue. “It was never about losing weight; it was always about becoming strong and giving myself as much time every day without my phone. I got quite addicted to it. I work out two or three times a day.” 

Yes, three times a day. “I needed to get addicted to something to get my mind right,” Adele said. The singer then went into minor detail: She starts with her weights in the mornings, a hike or boxing in the afternoon, and then cardio at night. “I was basically unemployed when I was doing it. And I do it with trainers,” she says. “It’s not doable for a lot of people.”

What she hasn’t done are harmful, restrictive diets, or anything else you’ve read about her on the internet. “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. And also, that whole thing of like, ‘Gets Revenge Body’… Oh my God. Suck my dick!”

Ultimately, Adele isn’t giving the press surrounding her fitness journey—or her critics—much thought. “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,” she said. “You don’t need to be overweight to be body positive; you can be any shape or size.”