Over the weekend, Adele had a surprise reunion with a former high school teacher while performing her concert special “An Audience with Adele” in London.
During the pre-recorded concert, the Grammy-award winning superstar took a question from actress Emma Thompson, who asked whether there was anyone in her past who had supported her, inspired her or protected her from life’s trials and tribulations.
Adele said, “I had a teacher at (south London high school) Chestnut Grove, who taught me English. That was Miss McDonald… She got me really into English literature. Like, I’ve always been obsessed with English and obviously now I write lyrics.”
“She was so bloody cool. So engaging,” Adele added, recalling that McDonald often wore sequins and gold bracelets. “She really made us care, and we knew that she cared about us.” Thompson then revealed that McDonald, whom Adele hadn’t seen in years, was in the audience.
In a clip shared on Twitter account from a fan account, Adele embraced her former mentor after she was brought on stage. “I’m so proud of you,” McDonald said as Adele burst into tears of joy. During their reunion, the “Easy On Me” singer told McDonald, “You really did change my life.”
“Now, I’ve got to get my whole face re-done,” the 33-year-old star joked while wiping away tears. She then called on host Alan Carr to step in and entertain the audience with a song while she stepped away to regain her composure.
Adele was surprised by her English teacher and burst into tears. #AnAudienceWithAdele https://t.co/cBbh6ewbjX
— Adele Daily (@adeledailymedia) November 21, 2021
After the special aired, Adele took to Twitter to share her excitement at the reunion: “Home Sweet Home. I’ve always dreamt of doing An Audience With…” she wrote alongside a series of pictures from the TV special, adding, “There was so much love in the room for each other, it felt like such a gig! Everyone was raucous and bang up for it! And my teacher Ms McDonald was there, it was just heaven.”
Home Sweet Home. I’ve always dreamt of doing An Audience With… There was so much love in the room for eachother, it felt like such a gig! Everyone was raucous and bang up for it! And my teacher Ms McDonald was there, it was just heaven ♥️ pic.twitter.com/N1LpkQbeoh
— Adele (@Adele) November 21, 2021
“An Audience With Adele” was filmed at the London Palladium earlier this month in front of a star-studded audience which included the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Daniel Kaluuya, Dua Lipa and Idris Elba.
See how fans reacted to Adele’s reunion with her English teacher below.
