Adele, who picked up thousands of votes in a survey of GaydarRadio listeners in the UK, has taken the gay icon crown from Australian singer Kylie Minogue.

The 23-year-old singer won more than half (55 per cent) of the 4,000 votes for the Pop Artist of the Year, while her nearest rival, Lady Gaga, got 18.9 per cent.

Other winners were rugby star Gareth Thomas, who was voted Celebrity of the Year picking up more than a quarter (27.1 per cent) of the votes, and openly gay Swedish footballer Anton Hysen was named Hero of the Year after getting more than a third of the votes.

“Adele has had a fantastic year with numerous Grammys and Brit Awards, but we know that this is the accolade she has been waiting for,” the Sydney Morning herald quoted Robin Crowley, programme controller at the station, as saying.