Emeli Sandé has spoken out about her recovery following her divorce from her husband and admits she was caught in a whirlwind when she and marine biologist Adam Gouraguine married in 2012.
The 30-year-old BRIT winner, who divorced her partner just one year after walking down the aisle, had been in a relationship with Gouraguine since she was 17. In the aftermath, she also left her manager of 10 years and took a break from touring.
"There was so much love there, it wasn’t like: You go that way and I’ll go that way. We were growing in different directions and that was so painful for us both," she told The Sun's Fabulous magazine.
"That’s why I never wanted to speak about it – I don’t want to expose anyone who hasn’t consented. It’s disrespectful on my part. There is definitely (still) love there.
"Every day you learn, and sometimes you forget that. It’s OK to make mistakes, change, build yourself up and grow," Sandé added.
Sandé also admitted she nearly quit the music industry as she struggled to deal with the success of her debut album Our Version of Events.
''It hurt, and I didn't know what to do. I was like, 'Should I stop? Should I continue? Should I just go away?' I considered it now and again, but I was never serious.
''I knew I'd never break away from music, but I felt that if people didn't want to see me singing then I could do other things.
"It's very hard to get the balance right, and I never want to force anything on anyone. But I was also very proud of what I was representing, as when I was a kid I didn't see many women who looked like me on TV.''
Our Version of Events spent ten non-consecutive weeks at number one and became the best-selling album of 2012 in the UK, with over 1 million sales. That same year, Sandé performed in both the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the London Olympics.
