Adele’s Amazing Body and Style Transformation Through the Years
Mark Larner/Photoshot/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images; iamKevinWong.com/MEGA
From the moment Adele first broke out onto the scene in 2008 with her debut album, 19, it was clear she was something different. And for the next decade-plus, the British singer-songwriter (full name: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins) continued to show just how special she was in everything from her amazing voice to her famous potty mouth to her impressive weight loss and glamorous makeover.
The “Rolling in the Deep” singer is the winner of a whopping 15 Grammy Awards and 18 Billboard Music Awards as well as an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Along the way to her total domination of the music world, the soulful songstress has undergone major life changes — including the birth of her son, Angelo, in 2012, her marriage to Angelo’s dad, Simon Konecki, in 2016, and their eventual separation in 2019 — and shown off her changing style to fans across the globe.
The extremely private chart-topper has been body-positive since the start of her career. “I have never been insecure, ever, about how I look, about what I want to do with myself,” she told the Daily Mail in 2009. “My mum told me to only ever do things for myself, not for others.”
And she attributed some of the early support she got to her relatable weight. “Fans are encouraged that I’m not a size 0 — that you don’t have to look a certain way to do well,” she told Vogue that same year.
Adele did, however, end up slimming down in 2012 before her son was born that October, though she never lost her curves. And in 2016, long after the outspoken star had become multi-platinum, she starred in another Vogue cover. Of her smaller size, the star, who came from a rough working class London neighborhood, told the magazine, “I was trying to get some stamina for my tour, so I lost a bit of weight.” She joked that her slim down was responsible for her new shopping habit: “Now I fit into normal, off-the-shelf clothes — which is a really big problem for me!”
Deal of the Day
Her personal trainer, Pete Geracimo, explained the focus on her health in May 2020. “When Adele and I started our journey together, it was never about getting super skinny. It was about getting her healthy. Especially post-pregnancy and post-surgery,” he wrote via Instagram at the time. “When 25 dropped and the tour announced, we had to get ready for a 13 month grueling schedule. In that time, she warmed to training and made better food choices. As a result, she lost considerable weight and people took notice.”
No matter how you look at it, Adele’s journey and transformation through the years has been incredible. Scroll through to see some of the star’s best photos through the years.
Credit: Adele/instagram
Those Cheeks!
Adele grew up in Tottenham, London. She shared this throwback photo of herself via Instagram in October 2015, following the release of her album 25. “Throwing it way back with this! Thank you for all the love, I am so blown away. X #TBT,” she wrote.
Credit: Dave Etheridge-Barnes/Getty Images
Brighton Beginner
The then-up-and-coming singer, who studied biology at Balham’s Chestnut Grove School in London, performed a small set from her debut album 19 on the MTV2 Gonzo On Tour stage during the Great Escape Festival on May 19, 2007.
Credit: JMEnternational
Blunt Bangs!
Adele won in the Critics’ Choice category at the Brit Awards at Earls Court in London on February 20, 2008.
Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images
Grammy Goodness
The “Hometown Glory” songstress won her first Grammy for Best New Artist at the star-studded ceremony in L.A. on February 8, 2009. None other than Vogue’s Anna Wintour styled her for the big night.
Powerhouse Amid Heartbreak
The hair, the makeup, the voice! Adele debuted her song “Rolling in the Deep” in 2011. The track was off her second studio album, 21, which was mainly inspired by a painful split with an ex-boyfriend.
Credit: Jeff Kravitz
On Fire!
Adele, in a Burberry dress, dominated the stage with a powerful performance of her song “Someone Like You” at the MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, 2011.
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
She’s Really, Really Arrived
Doesn’t get much better! Adele was the belle of the ball at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in 2012. She became the first female artist to win six awards in one year, which included Record, Song and Album of the Year for her album 21. She wore a black Giorgio Armani dress, Christian Louboutin heels and Harry Winston diamonds, and rocked bold red lipstick. (Adele welcomed a baby boy named Angelo with her then-boyfriend Simon Konecki in October 2012.)
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS
Gorgeous at Golden Globes
Adele wore a Burberry dress and Miu Miu heels to the star-studded affair in Beverly Hills on January 13, 2013. She won in the Best Original Song category for “Skyfall.”
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS
Adele’s Many Accolades
The singer’s success continued when she took home Best Pop Solo Performance for “Set Fire to the Rain (Live)” at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013.
Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS
EGOT Next?
All she needs is a Tony and an Emmy! Adele teared up when she won Best Original Song for “Skyfall” at the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013. The tune was featured in the 2012 James Bond film of the same name.
Hello, Again!
Finally! Following a four-year hiatus, Adele dropped a new music video for her song “Hello” on October 22, 2015. She showed off a new short ‘do and slimmer figure.
Credit: Theo Wenner for Rolling Stone Magazine
Back in the Game
Adele covered Rolling Stone without makeup in November 2015. She opened up about her new music, her longtime partner Simon Konecki and their 3-year-old son, Angelo. The following month, she announced North American tour dates for her new album, 25.
Credit: Annie Leibovitz/ VOGUE
Daydreamer Diva
Adele wowed on the cover of Vogue in February 2016. “When I became a parent, I felt like I was truly living,” she said of her son Angelo. “My main thing is Mum, then it’s me, then it’s work.”
Credit: John Shearer/WireImage
Adele Years
Adele — showing off her tinier frame in a Givenchy black dress — pushed through despite sound issues during her Grammys performance on February 15, 2016. “The piano mics fell on to the piano strings, that’s what the guitar sound was. It made it sound out of tune. S–t happens,” she tweeted after the debacle. “Because of it though… I’m treating myself to an in n out [burger]. So maybe it was worth it.”
Credit: Luca Teuchmann/WireImage
Beautiful Brit
Adele felt the love while attending the Brit Awards on February 24, 2016. She won for British Female Solo Artist, British Single for “Hello” and MasterCard British Album of the Year for 25.
Credit: Pedro Gomes/Getty Images
Singing Her Heart Out
During her Adele Live 2016 European tour Adele sparkled on stage in Lisbon on May 21, 2016.
Credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images
Down to Earth
Adele was feeling her set at the Glastonbury Festival in Glastonbury, England, on June 25, 2016. The year before, she mused to Rolling Stone, “I think I remind everyone of themselves. Not saying everyone is my size, but it’s relatable because I’m not perfect, and I think a lot of people are portrayed as perfect, unreachable and untouchable.”
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARAS
‘25’ Is Thriving!
After playing a sold-out, six night stint at Madison Square Garden, the star received a plaque on September 22, 2016, to celebrate her album 25 hitting Diamond status by going Platinum 10 times.
Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Praising Her Idol
At the 59th Grammy Awards in L.A. on February 12, 2017, the Brit won Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Album of the Year. In her acceptance speech for Album on the Year, she declared Beyoncé’s Lemonade should have won. “I can’t possibly accept this award, and I’m very humbled, and I’m very grateful and gracious, but the artist of my life is Beyoncé,” she said onstage. “And this album to me, the Lemonade album, was just so monumental, Beyoncé, so monumental, and so well thought out, and so beautiful and soul-bearing, and we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see. And we appreciate that, and all us artists here f–ng adore you.”
Credit: Courtesy of Adele/Instagram
Staying Positive During Divorce
Her sense of humor is always in tact! Less than two weeks after her publicist announced that she and her husband, Simon Konecki, were separating, Adele seemingly broke her silence on the impending divorce by posting an empowering meme of herself on Instagram. The text on the photo pairing reads, “When you catch yourself in your feelings, then you remember who you are.”
Credit: MEGA
Fit and Happy!
Adele showed off her trim body as she held hands with a mystery man in July 2019. The singer looked energetic as she danced the night away at a Céline Dion concert.
Credit: iamKevinWong.com/MEGA
Super Slim
The Grammy winner showed off her new slim figure at Drake’s 33rd birthday party in Los Angeles in October 2019. Nutritionist and body expert Ray Abdwell told Us at the time that he thought the “Set Fire to the Rain” songstress had lost about 20 pounds since her last appearance. “In these new pictures, you can see much more definition in her clavicle, the weight loss through her arms and her legs,” he added. “Her jaw is much more sculpted as well. She has lost fat evenly from all parts of her body.”
Credit: Shutterstock; MEGA
Achieving Her Goals
The “Rumor Has It” singer turned heads during a tropical vacation with Harry Styles and James Corden in January 2020. While registered dietitian and physician assistant Heather Struhl told Us that Adele had probably lost close to 70 pounds, a fan who bumped into her during her island getaway gave a much bigger estimate. “When she introduced herself and began asking us about ourselves and our vacation in Anguilla, I apologized for not recognizing her right away and she said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ve lost around 100 pounds,'” Meredith Noonan told Us at the time. “She seemed very happy and relaxed, totally enjoying her vacation!”
Credit: Courtesy Kinga Rusin/Instagram
Unrecognizable!
When Polish TV presenter Kinga Rusin spotted Adele at Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Oscars party in February 2020, she nearly did a double take. “Honestly, I didn’t recognize her,” Rusin wrote alongside an Instagram photo of her posing with the British singer, who rocked an animal print dress that showed off her waist.
Credit: Courtesy of Adele/Instagram
Another Year Down
The megastar looked happy and healthy while celebrating her 32nd birthday at home during the coronavirus pandemic in May 2020. “Thank you for the birthday love. I hope you’re all staying safe and sane during this crazy time,” she captioned a photo of herself in a black minidress.
Credit: Shutterstock; Courtesy of Adele/Instagram
Then and Now
Adele shared a photo of herself “5 ciders in” in June 2020 while rewatching her 2016 performance at Glastonbury in the same Chloe dress that she wore to the musical festival.
Credit: Courtesy of Adele/Instagram
Paying Tribute
Adele showed off her slimmer body as she saluted her idol Beyoncé in August 2020. “Thank you Queen for always making us all feel so loved through your art ♥️♥️,” the “Hello” singer wrote on Instagram of the singer’s new visual album, Black Is King, while wearing the same fitted top as Beyoncé.
Credit: Courtesy of Adele/Instagram
Carnival Celebration
In August 2020, the “Someone Like You” songstress stunned fans with her bikini body as she dressed up in honor of a long-standing London tradition. “Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London,” she captioned an Instagram photo at the time, dressed in a Jamaican flag bikini top, feathered headdress and Bantu knots. The carnival, which celebrates Caribbean heritage in the city’s Notting Hill neighborhood, first took place in 1966 but was canceled in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Credit: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
Return to the Spotlight
Adele showcased her slimmer figure in a fitted velvet shirt as she appeared in a promo ahead of hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time in October 2020.
Credit: YouTube
A Natural
Adele wowed during her first Saturday Night Live hosting gig in October 2020. Although she did not debut new music, she showed off her impressive pipes in a sketch and teased that her next album was “not finished” in time for her to be the episode’s musical guest. In her monologue, she joked about her weight loss, quipping: “I know I look really, really different since you last saw me, but actually because of all the COVID restrictions and the travel bans, I had to travel light and only bring half of me, and this is the half that I chose.”
Credit: Courtesy of Adele/Instagram
An English Rose
The singer shared a glowing photo of herself cheering on England after they were defeated in the final round of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship.
“You did us so proud! You brought our game home and brought us all together 🏴 ♥️,” she wrote via Instagram in July 2021.
Credit: Harpo Productions/Photographer: Joe Pugliese
Not Feeling Bad
In November 2021, the singer detailed how she lost around 100 pounds over the course of two years — and the shocking reaction from fans. “I feel bad if anyone feels horrible about themselves but that’s not my job. I’m trying to sort my own life out,” she shared at the time. “My body has been objectified my entire career. … I was body positive then and I’m body positive now. It’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies.”
Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Turning Heads
In February 2022, Adele stunned at the 42nd Brit Awards in a black Giorgio Armani Privé dress and some major bling on her left ring finger.
Credit: Max Carren/@celebratory87/Mega TheMegaAgency.com
Marco Pole-o
Several days after the 2022 BRIT Awards, Adele swung around a stripper pole during a “Porn Star Idol” event at a London gay club — where she also judged a stripper contest. She rocked an all-white suit for the occasion, her blonde hair straight and flowing down her back.
Credit: Blair M. Struble/TMX/MEGA
Long live Las Vegas!
After an unexpected delay, Adele kicked off her residency in Las Vegas in November 2022. She announced in April 2023 that she was extending her run with shows from June 2023 to that November.
A Grammys Dream
Adele stunned at the 2023 Grammy Awards in a velvet, cranberry-colored gown with scalloped sleeves and a low-cut sweetheart neckline. The “Skyfall” singer, who was nominated for six awards at the February 2023 ceremony, took home the Best Pop Solo Performance trophy for “Easy on Me.” She tearfully dedicated her win to her son, Angelo.
