Adele delivers raunchy, inspiring speech at THR gala: 'I swear, forgive me'

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Speeches aren't Adele's "(expletive) forte," but being in full glam at "(expletive)" 8 a.m. is.

"When I'm nervous, I swear, forgive me. I'm British, what can I say?" Adele said Thursday morning to a room roaring in laughter.

The boisterous 35-year-old singer, who was honored at The Hollywood Reporter's annual Women In Entertainment breakfast, prefaced her raunchy yet empowering speech with a disclaimer: "I'm not really a motivational words kind of gal. I'm just going to be upfront about it straight away."

The singer, who was accompanied by partner (and rumored husband) Rich Paul to the early morning event held at the Beverly Hills Hotel, joked she was jet-lagged and "ready for a drink" after a morning of getting in "full glam" after flying in to Los Angeles from London the night before.

Jokes aside, Adele thanked the women in her life and women in the industry – including fellow THR honoree Kerry Washington and Helen Mirren, who presented her with the award – for paving the way to her success during her acceptance speech for the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award.

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Adele reflects on motherhood, getting pregnant at the height of her career

Adele, who donned a classic pinstripe black-and-white suit for the event, sponsored by Lifetime, reflected on thinking being pregnant in her early 20s was considered "career suicide" at the time.

"My son is 11 years old, so if you do the math, it means that right at the height of '21,' I could only call it pandemonium, because that's how it felt to me. … overnight, it was like I was famous. It was the strangest, most surreal experience of my life, still, to this day, I (got) pregnant," she said. Adele shares son Angelo with ex-husband Simon Konecki.

"It was there and then I chose to reject the scarcity of success and the idea you have to be constantly relevant to be successful, and that perhaps, just maybe, I could be a hit both on and off stage," she said.

"And you'll never guess what: I … got away with it," Adele quipped. As a result of "going against the grain," the 16-time Grammy Award-winning singer also boasts a Las Vegas residency, "Weekends with Adele," and the title of being one of the world's best-selling music artists with sales of more than 120 million records worldwide.

The singer also praised her mother, aunts, grandmothers and the mentors who surrounded her in her childhood.

"All the sacrifices the women before me have made, it is because of them that I have every right to be the boss at home and the boss at work," she said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adele shares raunchy speech at THR gala, joined by partner Rich Paul