The Rolling In The Deep singer's hit 2011 album 21, which earned her six Grammy Awards, catapulted the Brit onto the international stage and she went on to pick up an Oscar for her Bond theme Skyfall, among many other accolades.

But she stepped out of the spotlight at the height of her fame to start a family and raise her young son Angelo.

Now, returning from her hiatus with the acclaimed new single Hello, she reveals her distaste for the celebrity lifestyle prompted her to step back and become normal again.

"Fame is not real, and I don't want to live a fake life," she declared during a BBC interview. "Sometimes I have my... moments, but not that often, when I think it would be a lot easier to be on a yacht all the time... Like other people do... But I don't want to be on a yacht - I'm scared of the sea...

"I don't want to give into that. I find fame quite frightening and I find it really toxic... It's very charming and it's very persuasive but it doesn't last, so why would you want to get involved in something that you will miss so much once it's gone - and it always goes..."

Adele goes on to admit she enjoys her under-the-radar lifestyle and stays grounded with the help of friends and family.

"I like the way I've lived my life and that's why I'll keep on living it that way," she added. "No one else in my life is famous, so they'd just think I was being an idiot if I ever got carried away with it... I get to do a lot of normal things because of it."