Congratulations are in order for Adele! The British musician (formally known as Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE) finally confirmed her engagement to her partner Rich Paul during a concert in Munich,
where she is currently playing a sold-out summer residency. After a fan held up a sign asking for Adele’s hand in marriage, she revealed, in typically casual fashion: “I can’t marry you—because I’m already getting married!”
Rumors have swirled for many years that the British pop powerhouse was planning to tie the knot with Paul, a sports agent best known for working with NBA star LeBron James—not least after she referred to him as “my husband” during a show at her Las Vegas residency in September 2022.
There was even speculation in November 2023 that the wedding had already taken place, after multiple social media users posted about attending the first stand-up show in the U.S. from the British comedian Alan Carr. According to rumors at the time, Carr took a moment during the show to ask guests whether anyone had recently married, to which Adele replied: “I did!” (Carr is known to be one of Adele’s closest friends, with the musician reportedly having acted as celebrant for Carr’s 2018 wedding with his now ex-husband, held in the back garden of her Los Angeles home.)
While Adele and Paul first met at a party many years before they began dating, it wasn’t until 2021 that they first sparked up a romance, two years after the singer had filed for divorce from her ex-husband, Simon Konecki, with whom she shares a son. “He was always there, I just didn’t see him,” Adele said of Paul in her 2021 Vogue cover story, her first interview after publicly confirming their relationship. “Rich just incredibly arrived,” she continued, noting that she immediately felt a sense of safety and comfort in the relationship. “I don’t feel anxious or nervous or frazzled. It’s quite the opposite. It’s wild.”
Over the years since, the couple have most often been spotted sitting courtside on basketball date nights, supporting Paul’s most high-profile client, the L.A. Lakers player James. That’s not to say Paul hasn’t stepped out in support of Adele, too: in 2023, they attended the Grammy Awards together, where the singer picked up the best pop solo performance award for her track “Easy on Me.” At the event, Adele also wore a diamond ring on the fourth finger of her left hand, sparking marriage rumors that were revived later that year when she shared an Instagram post holding a copy of Paul’s memoir with another diamond ring on her wedding finger.
As for when the pair are planning to head down the aisle? Given Adele’s closely guarded privacy around her personal life, that will likely remain a mystery for now. Vogue
