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The father of superstar singer Adele has pleaded with his famous daughter to heal a family rift which has prevented him seeing his grandson.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, part-time plumber Mark Evans, 49, said he has been cut out of Adele's life since 2011 and only learned about her pregnancy and birth of her baby, thought to be called Angelo James, through the press.
He said he has tried writing letters and making phone calls to re-connect with his daughter, who was brought up single handedly by her mother Penny Adkins, but she has refused to respond.
He claimed he was talking to the newspaper because it was the only avenue left to get in touch with Adele.
"It's like I'm dead to her," he said. "I'm not interested in her celebrity status or her money, I just want my daughter back and I want to be a proper grandad to the little one."
Mark, who became a grandfather for the first time when Adele gave birth in October, added: "Not only did I hear I was going to be a grandad for the first time via the media, I found out the same way that she's calling the baby Angelo James.
"I'd hoped so much that she'd put my late dad's name, John, in there somewhere, but alas it looks as if it is not going to be. I'm not sure why she's chosen James, other than a reference to James Bond, and God alone knows where Angelo has come from. It's very LA, isn't it?
"If only she'd called him John. That would have meant so much to me - and to Dad, God bless him. He'd have been so touched.
He told the Mail on Sunday that the current situation meant he was 'missing out on so many of the joys of being a grandfather. Simple pleasures like taking him out for a walk in his buggy along the promenade at Penarth like I used to with Adele, then stop off for an ice cream on the way back'.
The newspaper speculates that the family rift can be traced back to an interview Mark gave in 2011 as his 24-year-old daughter stood in the brink of global stardom following the release of her autobiographical album 21, which laid bare the painful breakdown of a relationship and which went on to win six Grammy awards.
He lost touch with his daughter when he suffered a breakdown following the death of Adele's grandfather John in 1999 and the collapse of a relationship that triggered a long battle with alcoholism. But after three years without contact, father and daughter were reunited when Adele was 15.
"When Adele was growing up I wasn't a great example of what a father should be, but I always kept in touch and saw her regularly," he said.
But the relationship took a turn in 2011, after the release of Adele's second album 21. Mark says he and Adele had agreed to do an interview together, but she had to fly off to America at short notice. Mark said he assumed it was OK to go ahead with the interview on his own.
"I genuinely believed I was doing her a favour by speaking about how proud I was of her and how ashamed I was for my shortcomings as a parent, because it would put it out there on the record and stop people bothering her about it," he said.
"Even afterwards I thought everything was fine because I got feedback from her management that she was very happy with the piece. Then, a few days later, I got a call from Adele's mum, Penny, shouting down the phone, 'You shouldn't have done that'.
"Before I could reply, she hung up. That was the last contact I had with either of them.
"It's so sad it's come to this, and all over an honest account of my feelings for her. I've never said a bad word about Adele and I m absolutely gutted she's cut me out of her life."
Hmm. We're not convinced this is the best way to mend relations. What do you think?
Celebrity family feuds
- Christian Bale<p> He might be the toast of Tinseltown but Christian Bale has been embroiled in a family feud for three years. After a "deeply personal" row with his mother and sister in London, the Dark Knight actor was arrested by police. He hasn't spoken to his mother (who called the cops) or sister since.</p>
- Lindsay Lohan<p> It's little wonder Lindsay Lohan has issues. When her parents split in 2007, Lindsay claimed dad Michael had cheated on and threatened to kill mum Dina, while he has regularly questioned his ex-wife's parenting skills and released private conversations with his daughter to the media. Lindsay once called him "a lunatic" but the pair have recently reconciled.</p>
- Madonna<p> Christopher Ciccone was Madonna's brother, confidant and personal assistant for many years. Unfortunately that meant he was perfectly placed to write a tell-all book about her odd habits and ruthless nature. Madge was livid and the pair now barely speak. And Christopher did little to make amends recently when he called her penchant for younger men "creepy".</p>
- Drew Barrymore<p> Hard-partying Jaid Barrymore regularly took her daughter Drew to clubs as a young child. Drew famously went off the rails, experimenting with drugs, drinking and twice going to rehab. At the age of 13, the actress filed to be legally emancipated from her mother. She later reconciled with Jaid, saying: "I didn't want to be crippled by things that happened in the past."</p>
- Angelina Jolie<p> Ange's dad Jon Voight's divorce from Angelina Jolie's mother is thought to be at the root of the tension between the pair. They remained civil during the Tomb Raider movie but Jolie later legally dropped her father's surname, while he appeared on TV suggesting she had "serious mental problems". However, for the moment the pair have put their troubles behind them.</p>
- Jennifer Aniston<p> Jennifer Aniston fell out with her mother Nancy when the latter wrote a book about their relationship and discussed her memoir on TV. Jen subsequently refused to invite her mother when she married Brad Pitt in 2000. In fact, Nancy never knew Jennifer's husband because it wasn't until the relationship broke down five years later that these two put aside their differences.</p>
- Eminem<p> Rapper Eminem's feud with his mother Debbie Nelson is legendary. His debut single 'My Name Is', featured remarks about his mother's alleged drug use and Debbie sued him for slander. The $10m case was settled out of court but Nelson went on to publish a book about her relationship with her son. He has yet to forgive her, despite her dying wish to reconcile.</p>
- Alec Baldwin<p> Whilst in the midst of a bitter custody battle with ex-wife Kim Basinger, Alec Baldwin shocked the showbiz world when he left a voicemail calling his 11-year-old daughter Ireland a "rude, thoughtless little pig". Rumour has it Basinger leaked the recording to the media. However, Ireland forgave her father two years later.</p>
- Macaulay Culkin<p> When child star Macaulay Culkin's parents began a bitter custody dispute, the Home Alone actor (then 15) was forced to sue for control of his finances. Two years later, Culkin's pushy father Kit finally relinquished control of his cash. Macaulay paid off his mother's considerable legal debts but wanted nothing to do with his father.</p>
- Julia Roberts<p> It was actor Eric Roberts that gave superstar Julia her first movie role. But when Julia hit the bigtime, the pair fell out. In 2001, Eric said of his sister: "Her problem is she's just too big for her panties. I got her first role for her but she's turned her back on me for years." It took 10 years of silence and the birth of Julia's twins to heal the rift but happily they are now back on speaking terms.</p>
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