Emeli Sande : It was killing me not being my true self

Emeli Sandé admits it was “killing her” not being able to be her true self before coming out.

The ‘Next To Me’ hitmaker – who was married to university lecturer Adam Gouraguine from 2012 to 2014 – announced last month that she is now dating female classical pianist Yoana Karemova, and Emeli finally felt like she could “breathe” after letting everyone know her sexuality and having such a positive reaction from her supportive fanbase.

Speaking on Wednesday’s (11.05.22) episode of ‘Loose Women’, she said: “Yeah, it’s been amazing. You know, I wasn’t sure especially coming out and talking about my new relationship. I wasn’t sure how people would see that. But it definitely got to a point in my life where I felt I have to be me. You know, I really have to be because it’s killing me not to be my real self. So now the reaction was so lovely.

“My fans have just been so supportive and I just feel finally I can be myself and breathe.”

The 35-year-old singer feels like she is “floating on a cloud” she’s so smitten with her girlfriend.

She gushed: “I think I have such a physical reaction falling in love. You just feel like you’re floating on a cloud. Everything’s good. I remember just you know, a few months after just knowing her, life is really nice. Like everything seems good. I feel optimistic. And I think since I met Yoana, I think your body tells you and life becomes just like a dream.”

Emeli – who returned with the new album, ‘Let’s Say for Instance’, last week – admitted she didn’t have the nerve to have her hair cut how she liked it, and upon deciding to return to music as an independent artist after leaving a major label, it was vital that she could be herself, no matter what everyone else thinks.

She explained: “There’s so much like you said the hairstyle, all of these things that I didn’t feel really represented who I really was. So I think, you know, cutting my hair and having the guts to do that. And when I decided to come back into the industry, I thought when I come back I want to be my true self.

“Maybe I’m not as popular as before and maybe people don’t like the change but I need to present who I really am this time.

“I feel really relaxed I just feel every time I go on stage now it’s this is me.”