The 27-year-old singing superstar was performing as a part of an hour-long live special aired on American TV channel NBC on Monday (12.14.15), and a tear-jerking rendition of her latest song 'When We Were Young' prompted the teary-eyed star to give an emotional speech.
Addressing the crowd, she said: "I know I've been quiet, I just wanted to come back and surprise you. I didn't want to tell you anything because I wanted it to be a surprise. I feel like this is the start now."
The 'Hello' hitmaker - who released her comeback LP '25' last month - said she was "happy" to get the show over with because she was "so nervous" about performing after so long.
She blubbered: "We've been planning it for months and I'm just so happy and before the show I was like, 'Oh God I want it to be over,' because I was so nervous, but I've managed to remember every moment of this show."
According to The Sun, newspaper Adele - who has just added 56 dates in the US to her 2016 world tour - was seen leaving the stage as the credits for the show rolled and broke down in the arms of a friend.