Adele punches Gareth Gates fan for voting against Will Young: Details inside

Will and Gareth competed against each other in the inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol in 2002

Web Desk

Published October 17, 2026

Grammy-winning singer Adele went as far as getting herself into serious trouble at school

Will Young, who rose to fame after winning Pop Idol in 2002, has taken a trip down memory lane, recalling an incident in which Adele revealed that she had been suspended from school after punching a fan of Gareth Gates.

Will, 47, and Gareth, 42, competed against each other in the inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol in 2002.

At the time, Grammy-winning singer Adele, 38, went as far as getting herself into serious trouble at school.

Will told Official Charts: 'Adele got suspended for standing up for me because people were voting for Gareth,'

'She punched a girl. Did you know that?'

Adele, 38, previously admitted to the playground scrap during a BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat interview and revealed she was given a one-week suspension.

She said: 'I adore Will Young, he's my first love, I was obsessed with him. I got chucked out of school for a week for having a fight with Gareth Gates fans.'

Will secured the title after a record-breaking public vote and released his debut double A-side single, Anything Is Possible / Evergreen after his victory.

During his interview, Will also confessed he had not always a big fan of his biggest hit, Leave Right Now.