Rich Paul revealed that his girlfriend, Adele, was deeply moved by the rough childhood stories he shares in his new memoir.
“It was very emotional,” Paul, 41, told People of the singer’s reaction to the book in an interview published on Sunday, October 8. “I think a lot of it probably hit home, so yeah, it was a difficult read [for her].”
In Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds — which hits bookshelves on Tuesday, October 10 — Paul opens up about taking up gambling to support his mother, who struggled with addiction, while growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. He remained close to his father, who had another family, by working alongside him at a corner shop.
“I had a great example of who a man should be and what a man should do,” Paul told the outlet. “I had a front row seat to what work ethic was like, what perseverance was like. I watched my dad play air traffic controller in a community that was a war mixed with a tornado, but also a picnic at times. He was my hero in that regard.”
Paul’s life was later changed after sparking a friendship with a teenage LeBron James as he went on to become the NBA star’s longtime agent.
Like Paul, Adele, 35, also had a difficult relationship with one of her parents. Her father, Mark Evans, left her and her mother, Penny Adkins, at a young age and resurfaced once she found success in the music industry. Adele later cut ties with him following a falling out in 2012.
Two years later, Evans — who died at the age of 57 in May 2021 —revealed that he and Adele reconciled in 2013 after he asked for her forgiveness while battling bowel cancer. “It was a misunderstanding,” he told The Sun at the time. “We’ve patched things up, everything’s fine, but I don’t want to make further comment.”
In October 2021, Adele said she and Evans “got our peace before he died,” telling Vogue, “When he passed, I had this sort of physical reaction. That fear left my body. My mom was incredible when my dad was at the final stages. She was there and helping.”
That same month, she told British Vogue that she got to play her 2021 album, 30, for Evans before his death. “I found the peace to forgive him,” she added. “He was ready to go and he lasted a long time with it. So thank you.”
Following her father’s death, Adele sparked dating rumors with Paul after they attended a July 2021 NBA Finals match together. The couple later sparked engagement rumors after Adele sported a diamond ring at the 2022 Brit Awards. “If I was [engaged], would I ever tell anyone if I was or wasn’t?” she told Graham Norton in February 2022.
Last month, Adele raised eyebrows after referring to Paul as her “husband” and herself as a “wife” during performances of her Las Vegas residency. “They aren’t married,” a source exclusively confirmed to Us Weekly on Thursday, October 5, “but they do call each other husband and wife and have been for a while now.”
The insider added: “Marriage is really just a ceremony at this point. They [already] live and act as husband and wife.”
