Doreen M. Adkins (nee Brooks)[1] (also called "Nana" by her granddaughter) is the maternal grandmother of Adele. She and her husband, John, are the parents of five children and father of five children—Kim, Anita, Gary, John Anthony, and Penny, Adele's mother.
By the time their youngest daughter, Penny, reached high school, Doreen and John began work on a fruit and vegetable stall at the New Covent Garden Market.[2] They are mentioned at the end of the booklet for Adele's debut album, 19, where she refers to them as "the original romantics."[3]
Doreen and John have lived in a small home in Tottenham, North London, for over 30 years. They have fourteen grandchildren. Speaking about her family, she has stated:
| “ | We threw Adele's mum out when she was 18. That's what we did with all the kids. They had to make their own way in life. My kids, they all work. The whole family have got jobs. You have got to get on and it hasn't done any of them any harm.[4] | ” |
Adele revealed in an interview with i-D that her grandparents were two of the people that inspired "Remedy," the first song written for her third studio album, 25.[5]