Celebrity Celebrity Relationships Celebrity Friendships Adele Thanks Rich Paul's Late Mom for Raising a Man Who Doesn't Think a 'Woman's Power Diminishes' His Own After accepting 'The Hollywood Reporter'’s Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, the Grammy winner thanked her mother and her partner's late mom By Charna Flam Charna Flam Charna Flam is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared on Variety, The New York Post, and The Wrap. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 8, 2023 11:46AM EST Adele shared her gratitude for her partner Rich Paul's late mother in an acceptance speech. On Thursday, the “Easy on Me” songstress accepted the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s Annual Women in Entertainment Gala and thanked his late mother, Minerva Martin, for raising her son to be a "proper man." “I actually have many men in my life who I love and who love me, but in the spirit of this morning and in fear of bras being burned, I'm gonna thank their mothers and not them,” shared the Grammy winner, 35. “I would like to thank Minerva Martin,” she continued. “Thank you to them for raising [a] good man who [does] not think that a woman's power diminishes their own.” The “Hello” singer concluded, “That's a proper man. Thank you.” Rich Paul and Adele on November 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images Adele and Rich Paul's Relationship Timeline Adele and Paul were first seen together publicly at an NBA game in July 2021. After they were spotted courtside, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that the artist had been dating the sports agent for "a few months." In October, Paul opened up to PEOPLE about his relationship with the singer and his new memoir, Lucky Me: A Memoir of Changing the Odds. Paul detailed the deep trauma he faced having a mother who struggled with drug addiction and his early childhood growing up in a crime-ridden area of Cleveland in the '80s and '90s. Johnny Nunez/Getty “I had built up this wall as a young kid,” he said, before adding, “to just have the understanding to move forward and know that she’s not going to be there. Like, Mom is not coming home.” Paul, 41, added that the depths of his childhood trauma are what resonated most with Adele. “It was very emotional,” he said of the star’s response to his book. “I think a lot of it probably hit home, so yeah, it was a difficult read [for her].” Adele and Rich Paul on April 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Before the Women in Entertainment Gala, the singer shared her reaction to Paul's memoir with The Hollywood Reporter. "It was very emotional reading about his mum, because obviously she’s not with us, so I’ve never met her," she said. "And she’s such a big part of Rich and the kids and the kids’ mum’s life and stuff like that." "But I knew all about it," Adele continued. "It was hard for him to write that." Adele Says She's 'Obsessed' with Boyfriend Rich Paul: 'I've Never Been in Love Like This' Adele covers The Hollywood Reporter. Ruvén Afanador Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Adele referred to Paul as her “husband” during a conversation with a fan at her Las Vegas Residency show in September, sparking marriage rumors. Adele is "ecstatically happy with Rich and has never been more buoyant, inspired and secure," a source told PEOPLE in November. "We all want to be as happy as Adele."