Adele arrives onstage "drenched in sweat" because she spent the journey there hiding in a box on wheels, a source has claimed.

The Grammy award-winning singer uses the mode of transportation on tour to make her way through crowds of fans without being noticed.

While the arenas she performs in usually have tunnels that she can use to access the stage without being interrupted, many of her recent shows have taken place at sports stadiums, which means that she is unable to travel in private.

Adele previously hinted at her method of transportation to fans, laughing as she said: "How I get to this stage makes me so sweaty, I'm drenched.

"I can't tell you til the end [of the tour], you'll laugh when you find out."

A source told The Sun: "Adele sits in the box for several minutes as she is taken from her dressing room right to the centre of the crowd.

"Most of her fans are already seated and just presume it's a piece of kit they are moving, but some have been told by staff at venues that actually it's their idol and a woman worth £85million sitting in a pretty small box a few feet from them."

Some fans have reportedly worked it out due to the fact that Peter Van Der Deer - Adele's personal security - always accompanies the box during its journey to the stage.