Adele opens up about the medical condition that leaves her 'waddling' on stage

Adele revealed that she has 'really bad sciatica' during her Las Vegas show on New Year's Eve after crowds spotted her hobbling across the Colosseum's stage between songs. 

The British superstar has spoken candidly about her personal life once again, admitting that she suffers from a painful back condition as she handed out t-shirts to guests of her glitzy Weekends with Adele concert. 

While performing at her New Year's Eve show in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Hotel on Saturday evening, the 34-year-old noticeably struggled to walk across the stage to collect the merchandise. Rather than brush it off, Adele was quick to tell her 4,100-strong audience the reason behind her impaired mobility. 

"I’ve got two more [t-shirts] I’ve just got to get over to the other side of the stage," the Easy on Me singer said. 

"I have to waddle these days as I have really bad sciatica." 

According to the NHS, sciatica is a condition "where the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your feet, is irritated or compressed." People with sciatica can experience tingling pain in their feet, toes, and back, and the symptoms typically affect one side of the body. 

This isn't the first time Adele has spoken publicly about her physical health issues. In an interview with The Face last year, the Grammy winner revealed that she's "been in pain with my back for, like, half of my life." 

She explained that the spinal discomfort began when she was 15, after she slipped her first disc from sneezing. While she's been able to manage it through exercise, it still 'flares up" when she's stressed or neglecting her posture. 

Adele has also opened up about her mental health in the past, admitting in November 2021 that her divorce from Simon Konecki left her "devastated." 

The Tottenham native told Rolling Stone that she battled 'a tsunami of emotions' after splitting from the British charity CEO, who is also the father of her nine-year-old son Angelo, after a seven-year-long relationship. 

"It made me really sad,” she revealed. “Then having so many people that I don’t know that I didn’t make that work… it f****** devastated me. I was embarrassed." 

Adele is now in a relationship with US sports agent, Rich Paul, whom she reportedly first met at a mutual friend's birthday party. In May, the Oh My God singer revealed on Instagram that the couple had moved in together after two years of dating. She has also since hinted at plans to expand her family with Rich, telling BBC Deserts Disc host Lauren Laverne that it would be "wonderful" to have more kids.