Adele was teary and 'so nervous' during her London stage return

Adele performing at Wembley Stadium in 2017 credit:Bang Showbiz
Adele performing at Wembley Stadium in 2017 credit:Bang Showbiz

Adele broke down in tears and admitted she was "so nervous" as she returned to the stage in London at the weekend.

The 33-year-old Grammy-winner was back in her home city to record her upcoming ITV special 'An Audience With Adele' at the London Palladium, and it was an emotional experience for the megastar.

An insider told The Sun newspaper: “Adele was playful and fun on stage but you could tell she was feeling the pressure.

“She sounded better than ever but there were a couple of false starts throughout the evening, whether that be because of tech issues or her nerves.

“But it was an absolutely incredible event - there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

She performed the lead single, 'Easy On Me', and debuted a number of tracks from her hotly-awaited LP, '30', which is due out on November 19.

And Adele - whose boyfriend Rich Paul was looking on - confessed to the star-studded audience: ​“I’m so nervous.”

The 'Hometown Glory' hitmaker, who hadn't performed in the UK since her Wembley Stadium shows of 2017, declared at one point: “I’m s******* it! I’m so nervous!”

The 'When We Were Young' singer has previously opened up about her crippling battle with stage fright.

The Tottenham-born, LA-based singer also grew emotional when she was reunited with someone from her childhood.

The evening was full of laughter, too, though, with the 'Hello' singer's comedian pal Alan Carr singing a questionable rendition of 'Make You Feel My Love', as Adele had her make-up fixed after weeping.

Adele - who has son Angelo, nine, with her ex-husband Simon Konecki - also performed hits 'Someone Like You', 'Hello' and 'Rolling In The Deep'.

The crowd included the likes of Dame Emma Thompson, Naomi Campbell, Mel B, and England manager Gareth Southgate.

And they were personally invited alongside a bunch of mega-fans.

Alan, 45, took to Instagram afterward and teased viewers can expect lots of "tears and laughter".

He wrote: “I’m still processing what a magical night it was.

“You are so in for a treat when it comes on later this month on ITV - Adele was on top form - there were tears and laughter!”

'An Audience With Adele' airs on November 21 on ITV, two days after the release of '30', the star's first album since 2015's '25'.