Looking gorgeous in an off-the-shoulder red gown and Hollywood waves, Adele wowed fans at the Grammy Awards last week, joined by her suave boyfriend Rich Paul.
Adele, 34, has been dating sports agent Rich, 41, since the pair struck up a romance in 2021. And while the Someone Like You singer has always been notoriously private about her love life, she’s been very vocal about her “obsession” with Rich since making their relationship official that September.
But while things are going from strength-to-strength for the showbiz power couple, insiders say there is a growing sense of desperation for Adele, who is keen to add to her family by having a baby with Rich, but worried about taking a career break for it to happen.
Adele – mum to 10-year-old son, Angelo Adkins, with ex-husband Simon Konecki – has previously opened up about her broodiness. Last year the star – who moved into a £48m family home, near close pal Jennifer Lawrence, last May – revealed how she was desperate for her delayed Vegas residency to kick off in 2022 because she wanted to have a second child this year.
"We're working our a***s off 24 hours a day," she said following the backlash she received from her fans after cancelling her show on the night before she was due to perform last January. "They are absolutely happening this year. I want a baby next year. I have plans for next year! Imagine I had to cancel shows because I'm having a baby?"
Her five-month long residency at Caesar's Palace finally kicked off in November, but while she was set to take a break her career to welcome a new addition, last month it was revealed how ticket sales had dropped from a resale price of up to £40,0000 to £3,450 as the famous venue struggles to fill seats in the lead-up to her final performance on 25 March.
Now a source reveals how Adele, who has always confessed to being a perfectionist, is torn between her career and baby plans as she grapples with the added heartache that Angelo will reach his teens in a few years.
The insider says, "Adele has made no secret of the fact that she wants babies with Rich, but she's feeling said that it hasn't happened yet as her career, and life in general, has got in the way of it all.
"She always makes everything in her career look so easy, but the truth is she and her team were really worried about the fallout after cancelling her Vegas dates. She's been working around the clock ever since to make it up to her fans and show the world that she's a true professional. But it has meant putting everything on hold with Rich, including baby plans.
"The really sad thing for Adele is that she's desperate for Angelo to have some siblings to play with, but is worried that, by the time she can finally get around to it all, there's going to be too much of an age gap between her son and a new baby."
Adele has previously opened up about suffering postnatal depression after welcoming Angelo in 2012, describing how she had "no time to even brush my teeth, let alone write a record or hang out with my friends".
But after meeting Rich, who, has three children of his own, the couple appear to be on the same wavelength when it comes to having children later in their careers.
Last year, Rich shared his regrets over working while his children grew up "in the blink of an eye", but revealed that he was excited to become a dad again.
"I'm looking forward to being a different dad – a more patient dad," he said. "I was a really young father, but now I'm a different age and at a different time in my life and a different position in my life, so I'm really looking forward to being an older dad."
And while Adele and Rich, who have a joint net worth of over £280 million, are excited to add to their blended family, the insider says Adele, who co-parents Angelo its Simon, is plagued with guilt about leaving it so late.
"Adele is terrified that Angelo will be heading into his teens soon and she had this dream of having all of her children grow up together. It can be hard not to feel guilty about it, but that's just not the way life has worked out for her."
