The Grammy-award-winning singer Adele had a surprise reunion with a special teacher from her past, whom Adele hadn’t seen in 20 years. The tearful reunion happened during the British powerhouse’s ITV concert special, “An Audience with Adele,” which was broadcast in the UK on a Sunday evening.
During the pre-recorded concert, Dame Emma Thompson asked the “Easy on Me” singer if there was anyone from her childhood who had supported her, inspired her, or protected her from life’s trials and tribulations.
In response, Adele revealed: “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 explained why she admired the teacher so much: “She was so bloody cool. So engaging. She really made us care, and we knew that she cared about us.”
Thompson then revealed that the beloved teacher was sitting in the audience, which prompted a shocked Adele to break down in tears. She embraced her former mentor after she was brought on stage.
You can watch the unexpected reunion in the video below:
“I’m so proud of you,” McDonald said as Adele cried tears of joy. During their exchange, the “Easy On Me” hitmaker told McDonald: “You really did change my life.”
The performance took an emotional turn, leading the songstress to touch up her cosmetics. In the meantime, she called on host Alan Carr to step in and entertain the audience with an off-the-cuff rendition of Adele’s hit “Make You Feel My Love” that was charmingly off-pitch, eliciting laughter from the crowd. After the performance, Adele returned to the stage and continued with her concert.
After the special aired, Adele also shared her excitement over the reunion on Instagram.
“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.”