BBC Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts has spoken of how her fiancée, actress Kate Holderness, has given her strength during her cancer battle in the couple's first joint interview and photoshoot with Hello! Magazine.
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Adele was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer last October and, after an operation to remove a tumour, underwent a course of chemotherapy.
© Photo: HELLO!Adele has opened about her relationship with fiancé Kate in an exclusive interview
"It sounds strange but it's brought us closer than ever," she tells the magazine. "I've always loved Kate, but since my diagnosis I've seen a different side to her. She's my counsellor, my mentor and the best nurse ever. She helped me when I could barely walk and had to shuffle into work at Radio 1. She’s my absolute hero."
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Kate adds: "I've always been a timid person but Adele's illness has unleashed a strength in me I never knew I had."
It was on 1 October 2021 that Adele received her shattering diagnosis. "After a scan, the doctor broke the bad news. My first question was: 'Am I going to die – and is it my fault?' I felt bad for putting Kate and my family through that, but now I know that getting cancer is nobody's fault, and that sadly it will happen to one in two of us." With Kate by her side, Adele drew comfort, while her fiancée put on a brave face.
© Photo: HELLO!Adele and Kate first fell in love in 2004
"I was devastated," says Kate. "But I held back the tears because I didn't want her to think that I thought she wouldn't beat it. So I went into practical mode, writing down everything the doctor said."
In the interview, the couple also recall how they first fell in love after meeting in 2004 when Adele was a presenter for her local radio station, Rock FM, in Lancashire. "I'd seen a girl DJing at a nightclub and decided it was my calling, too," says Kate. "But it turned out the universe was calling me to Adele. When I asked a friend if she knew of any DJs who could teach me, she introduced us. The moment we met, I felt like I already knew her, that I’d found my twin soul."
"I felt the same," says Adele. "I'd never been good at relationships, but with Kate I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Since then, we've barely been apart. We’d stay up all night talking and within the first week were discussing marriage.
"I thought I’d loved before but with Kate it's on a different level; she’s the first person I’ve fallen in love with. I took her to meet my family, which I’d never done with a partner before."
To read the full article, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale now. Subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
