The Rolling in the Deep hitmaker reflected on her career as she collected the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment event in Los Angeles on Thursday.

She admitted that becoming pregnant with her 11-year-old son Angelo in 2012, the year after releasing her breakthrough album 21, was considered disastrous for her career.

"Overnight (after releasing 21) it was like I was famous. It was the strangest most surreal experience of my life still, to this day; I fell pregnant, and to many that would be, and it was considered, career suicide for me," she told the audience. "However, always one to go against the grain, it was there and then that I chose to reject the scarcity of success and the idea that you have to be constantly relevant to be successful. And that perhaps, just maybe, I could be a hit both on and off the stage - and you'll never guess what, f**king got away with it."

Adele, who shares Angelo with her ex-husband Simon Konecki, was presented with the award, which recognises trailblazers in entertainment, by Helen Mirren.

During her introduction, the Oscar-winning actress praised Adele's authentic songwriting and beautiful voice and called her a "game-changing artist".

"There are so many things about Adele I so greatly admire - her passion, her soulfulness in her songs, her brilliance as a songwriter, and of course, I cannot fail to mention her incredible work ethic. Just imagine her Las Vegas residency; it began in 2022 and continues through June. I get exhausted in Las Vegas after 24 hours," she remarked.

Elsewhere in the ceremony, Kerry Washington was presented with the Equity in Entertainment Award by Ariana DeBose.