WILL YOUNG CLAIMS ADELE PUNCHED GARETH GATES SUPPORTER

Will Young has claimed Adele was suspended from school after punching a girl during the voting rivalry between him and Gareth Gates on Pop Idol. He said the dispute arose because other pupils were voting for Gates in the ITV talent contest. “Adele got suspended for standing up for me because people were voting for Gareth,” Young said in an interview. He added: “She punched a girl. Got suspended from school. Did you know that?”

Young defeated Gates in the first series of Pop Idol in 2002. Young also discussed his initial reaction to Leave Right Now, one of his biggest hits. “I didn't like it at all when I first heard it,” he said. Young said he had already recorded Evergreen, The Long and Winding Road and You and I, and did not want another ballad. He preferred songs including Your Game and Friday's Child at the time.

Young said producer Stephen Lipson and manager Simon Fuller persuaded him to record Leave Right Now. He said the song improved after they added strings. Young has announced The Evergreen 25th Anniversary Tour to mark 25 years since his Pop Idol win. The 16-date UK tour is scheduled for February and March 2027. Young plans to perform with his full band and revisit songs from across his career.