The singer, who released the follow-up to 2008's '19' last month, has said that she had the hardest time writing material for the number one album.

"It broke my heart when I wrote this record, so the fact that people are taking it to their hearts is like the best way to recover. 'Cause I'm still not fully recovered. It's going to take me ten years to recover, I think, from the way I feel about my last relationship," Adele told MTV.

She added: "It was the biggest deal in my entire life to date... He made me totally hungry... He was older, he was successful in his own right, whereas my boyfriends before were my age and not really doing much."

Meanwhile, Adele has become the first living artist to simultaneously score two top five hits in both the UK singles and album charts since The Beatles in 1964.

(by Holly Frith)