Nicole Scherzinger shares a passionate kiss with her supportive fiancé Thom Evans after tearfully winning her first Tony Award
planted a celebratory kiss on her fiancé Thom Evans, after emotionally accepting her first ever Tony Award at the star-studded 78th ceremony on Sunday night, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The Pussycat Dolls singer, 46, won the Best Leading Actress in a Musical award for her performance of fading Hollywood star Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, based on the 1950 film noir of the same name by Billy Wilder.
Sobbing as she took to the stage to accept the gong, she gave a special shout out to Thom, thanking him for 'believing in me when I forget to believe in myself.'
And as Nicole spoke to press in the media room, the former rugby player, 40, was quick to congratulate his stunning fiancée and give her a sweet kiss.
During her acceptance speech, the actress broke down in tears as she confessed: 'Growing up I always felt like I didn't belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong, and I have come home at last.'
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
She added: 'I'm so honored to be recognized alongside these exceptional warrior women in this category. I want to thank you all so much for making this little Hawaiian/ Ukrainian/ Filipino girl's dream come true. So proud to represent.'
As well as Thom, Nicole also thanked her family, including her mother, stating she 'had me at 18 and gave everything up for me.'
While she also paid tribute to the crew of the musical, thanking composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and gushing: 'It has been such an honor to be able to create with you the past 15 years.'
And voicing her gratitude and appreciation for producer Jamie Lloyd, she added: 'Jamie, you saw in me what no one else did. You have given us all new ways to dream and you have changed my life forever.'
Nicole wrapped up her emotional speech with an inspiring message, saying: 'If there's anyone out there who feels like they don't belong, or your time hasn't come, don't give up.
'Just keep on giving and giving, because the world needs your love and your light now more than ever. This is a testament that love always wins. Thank you so much. God Bess you.'
She also took to the stage to give the audience a glimpse of her award-winning performance, as she sang As If We Never Said Goodbye from the show.
Nicole first met Thom when he appeared as a contestant on the celebrity edition of the X Factor in 2019, while she was a judge.
Tony Awards 2025 winners: AT A GLANCE
MUSICAL CATEGORIES
A sobbing Nicole Scherzinger won the Best Leading Actress in a Musical award, for her performance in Sunset Boulevard
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical: Nicole Scherzinger — Sunset Blvd.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical: Darren Criss — Maybe Happy Ending
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical: Natalie Venetia Belcon — Buena Vista Social Club
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical: Jak Malone — Operation Mincemeat
Best Musical: Maybe Happy Ending
Best Revival of a Musical: Sunset Blvd.
Best Direction of a Musical: Michael Arden — Maybe Happy Ending
PLAY CATEGORIES
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play: Sarah Snook — The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Cole Escola — Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Kara Young — Purpose
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Francis Jue — Yellow Face
Best Play: Purpose — Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Best Revival of a Play: Eureka Day — Author: Jonathan Spector
Best Direction of a Play: Sam Pinkleton — Oh, Mary!
They soon hit it off with Thom gushing he knew Nicole was 'the one' since they met, admitting: 'Within the first couple of days with Nicole it was just awesome, and it has been awesome ever since.'
The ex-Glasgow Warriors rugby league player popped the question while on holiday in Portugal back in July 2023.
Taking to Instagram to share the special moment at the time, Nicole wrote : 'I said yes,' along with a ring emoji.
And last week, the singer revealed they were finally set to tie the knot, once her run in Sunset Boulevard comes to an end in just over a months time.
Speaking on US radio, she confirmed: ' Yes, we will get married. We're engaged to be married when I'm not working. Thank God he is so patient.
'I've had to be disciplined to make sure I get six to eight hours [sleep] because my voice is my everything so I kind of live like a hermit. I don't do much, I just drink a lot of water.'
Nicole previously enjoyed an eight-year, on-off relationship with Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and a shorter romance with tennis player Grigor Dimitrov.
While Thom's former girlfriends include model and actress Kelly Brook - who herself is set to wed boyfriend Jeremy Parisi 'in the coming weeks'.
The ex-Glasgow Warriors rugby league player popped the question while on holiday in Portugal back in July 2023
In 2021, Thom opened up on his relationship with Nicole, telling how he was 'massively punching above my weight!' and exclaimed: 'I've hit the jackpot'.
Speaking to The Sun, he made it very clear that he feels lucky to be with Nicole as he explained: 'Nobody is asking Nicole how she got with me because I'm massively punching (above my weight). She's so easy and fun to be around. I've hit the jackpot.'
He explained: 'It wasn't even in my thought process to try it on with Nicole because it would have been unprofessional and she's so lovely and stunning in every possible way. I was just like, "She's out of my league".
The former Scottish international rugby union player went on to say that it was his grandmother who inspired him to 'pluck up the courage' and talk to Nicole as he recalled her motto: 'If you don't ask, you don't get'.
Thom reflected that he rejected the idea of sliding into the pop star's DMs as he didn't think it was the 'done thing' and would be 'awkward', but instead felt it was right to have an old fashioned face-to-face conversation.
He added that he's 'really grateful' that their relationship began 'naturally' during their 'intimate first meeting', with the hunk insisting he's 'never looked back'.
Tony Awards 2025 WINNERS
Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her
Maybe Happy Ending - WINNER
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Revival of a Play
Eureka Day — Author: Jonathan Spector - WINNER
Romeo + Juliet
Thornton Wilder's Our Town
Yellow Face — Author: David Henry Hwang
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
George Clooney — Good Night, And Good Luck
Cole Escola — Oh, Mary! - WINNER
Jon Michael Hill — Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim — Yellow Face
Harry Lennix — Purpose
Louis McCartney — Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Darren Criss — Maybe Happy Ending - WINNER
Andrew Durand — Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis — Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff — Just In Time
James Monroe Iglehart — A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan — Floyd Collins
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Glenn Davis — Purpose
Gabriel Ebert — John Proctor Is The Villain
Francis Jue — Yellow Face - WINNER
Bob Odenkirk — Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora — Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas —SMASH
Jeb Brown — Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein — Gypsy
Jak Malone — Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical - WINNER
Taylor Trensch — Floyd Collins
Best Direction of a Play
Knud Adams — English
Sam Mendes — The Hills Of California
Sam Pinkleton — Oh, Mary! - WINNER
Danya Taymor — John Proctor Is The Villain
Kip Williams — The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw — Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her — Marco Pennette
Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson and Hue Park - WINNER
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Marsha Ginsberg — English
Rob Howell — The Hills of California
Marg Horwell and David Bergman — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Miriam Buether and 59 — Stranger Things: The First Shadow - WINNER
Scott Pask — Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Costume Design of a Play
Brenda Abbandandolo — Good Night, And Good Luck
Marg Horwell — The Picture of Dorian Gray - WINNER
Rob Howell — The Hills Of California
Holly Pierson — Oh, Mary!
Brigitte Reiffenstuel — Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Natasha Chivers — The Hills Of California
Jon Clark — Stranger Things: The First Shadow - WINNER
Heather Gilbert and David Bengali — Good Night, And Good Luck
Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski — John Proctor Is The Villain
Nick Schlieper — The Picture Of Dorian Gray
Best Sound Design of a Play
Paul Arditti — Stranger Things: The First Shadow - WINNER
Palmer Hefferan — John Proctor Is The Villain
Daniel Kluger — Good Night, And Good Luck
Nick Powell — The Hills Of California
Clemence Williams — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Choreography
Joshua Bergasse — SMASH
Camille A. Brown — Gypsy
Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her
Jerry Mitchell — BOOP! The Musical
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck — Buena Vista Social Club - WINNER
Best Play
English — Author: Sanaz Toossi
The Hills of California — Author: Jez Butterworth
John Proctor Is The Villain — Author: Kimberly Belflower
Oh, Mary! — Author: Cole Escola
Purpose — Author: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins - WINNER
Best Revival of a Musical
Floyd Collins — Book/Additional Lyrics: Tina Landau; Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical
Sunset Blvd. - WINNER
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Laura Donnelly — The Hills Of California
Mia Farrow — The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson — Purpose
Sadie Sink — John Proctor Is The Villain
Sarah Snook — The Picture Of Dorian Gray - WINNER
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Megan Hilty — Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald — Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers — BOOP! The Musical
Nicole Scherzinger — Sunset Blvd. - WINNER
Jennifer Simard — Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Tala Ashe — English
Jessica Hecht — Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat — English
Fina Strazza — John Proctor Is The Villain
Kara Young — Purpose - WINNER
Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Natalie Venetia Belcon — Buena Vista Social Club - WINNER
Julia Knitel — Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence — Just In Time
Justina Machado — Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods — Gypsy
Best Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali — Buena Vista Social Club
Michael Arden — Maybe Happy Ending - WINNER
David Cromer — Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd — Sunset Blvd.
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dead Outlaw — Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her — Music & Lyrics: Julia Mattison and Noel Carey
Maybe Happy Ending —Music: Will Aronson; Lyrics: Will Aronson and Hue Park - WINNER
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical — Music & Lyrics: Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez
Best Orchestrations
Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber — Just in Time
Will Aronson — Maybe Happy Ending
Bruce Coughlin — Floyd Collins
Marco Paguia — Buena Vista Social Club - WINNER
David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber — Sunset Blvd.
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Rachel Hauck — Swept Away
Dane Laffrey and George Reeve — Maybe Happy Ending - WINNER
Arnulfo Maldonado — Buena Vista Social Club
Derek McLane — Death Becomes Her
Derek McLane — Just In Time
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Dede Ayite — Buena Vista Social Club
Gregg Barnes — BOOP! The Musical
Clint Ramos — Maybe Happy Ending
Paul Tazewell — Death Becomes Her - WINNER
Catherine Zuber — Just In Time
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Jack Knowles — Sunset Blvd. - WINNER
Tyler Micoleau — Buena Vista Social Club
Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun — Floyd Collins
Ben Stanton — Maybe Happy Ending
Justin Townsend — Death Becomes Her
Best Sound Design of a Musical
Jonathan Deans — Buena Vista Social Club - WINNER
Adam Fisher — Sunset Blvd.
Peter Hylenski — Just In Time
Peter Hylenski — Maybe Happy Ending
Dan Moses Schreier — Floyd Collins
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Jamie Foxx breaks down in tears at splashy event causing his KIDS to cry too
Jamie Foxx, 57, broke down in tears as he accepted the Ultimate Icon Award, at the BET Awards on Monday night in Los Angeles. 'Man, we used to take this saying for granted — that God is good,' the Oscar winner said as he began his touching speech. 'God is good,' he said again, to which the audience reacted, saying 'All the time.' 'All the time,' Foxx repeated, to which the crowd shouted back 'God is good.' 'I cannot even begin to express the love that I feel from everybody out there,' he continued, accepting the award presented by Stevie Wonder, 75. 'I gotta be honest, when I saw the in memoriam..... that could have been me,' the Ray star explained breaking down, as a cutaway shot showed his two daughters, Corrine, 31, and Anelise, 16 fighting back their own tears. 'I don't know why I went what I went through what I went through, but I know my second chance I'm not going to turn down... I have so much love to give.' Speaking of the conversation he had with his higher power during his near- fatal brain bleed that lead to a stroke, he said, 'I told him, I said, "Man, bro, just give me one more crack at this and I promise"... I said, "Whatever reason you put this on me, I promise Imma do right."' He then told the audience, 'And Imma do right in front of y'all, 'cause I know a lot of times, when we get on, we forget where we come from.' The actor said when he produced his Netflix special, Jamie Foxx: What Happened Was... 'it was in front of Black people. Black people was the one that said, "man, we got you." 'Not to say that white people can't pray either,' he added, which got a laugh from the audience. 'I know that sounds weird, but you know what I'm saying,' he continued, 'but you can't go through something like that and not testify.' He broke out in song, using his impression of Ray Charles to sing a few lines from his song I Got A Woman. After thanking his team for standing by him, he continued, saying, 'thank you to Black people and the Black award, because this is what really counts. A lot of people think the Oscars, is like, the biggest thing, and we gotta quick thinking like that. The Icon Award is the most important award because it comes from us.' Foxx, who won the Oscar in 2005, said the Ultimate Icon award was 'the most important award because it comes from us' The Back in Action star then thanked his family. 'I have to thank my sister Deirdre, who's in the audience right now. When I went through what I was going through she shut it down and she made sure that she took care of her brother,' giving the 'little girl from Dallas' credit for doing hair and makeup on 'all the Marvel films.' 'My beautiful daughter Corrine, I cannot say enough about you,' he said. 'You've always taken the backseat to everything, but when you needed to drive it, you drove., and you made sure I was here...., adding, 'at a certain point I'm going to stop crying, but I'm not going to stop crying just yet.' 'Analise Estelle Foxx, my baby with the big hair. She hides under that hair, 'cause she's got something special,' he said, sharing the story of how the teen snuck into his hospital room to play guitar for him. 'I realized God was in that guitar,' he explained of his miraculous recovery. 'God is good, and all the time,' he concluded with the same call and response with which he began his speech.
The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
I was 19, pregnant & arguing with my boyfriend when his texts stopped – then an Instagram post tore my world apart
MAYCI Neeley is a household name since appearing on the hit reality TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, but now, she has revealed the heartbreaking story of her first love. While her life may seem picture perfect with a doting husband, two kids, and another on the way, she has now shared her tragic past. 7 7 7 7 She's often seen on Instagram posing with her husband, Jacob Neeley, but he isn't the biological father of the nine-year-old son, though. Before her marriage, Mayci was in a relationship with Arik Mack. Then her life changed forever. In 2015, Mayci, who was just 19, was at university on a tennis scholarship when she found out she was pregnant. Mayci described Arik as a bit of a wild guy" who was "so full of life." So she had concerns about him settling down with the arrival of their baby. But he assured Mayci he was ready to be a dad and marry her. While Mayci says she didn't want to give up her tennis career, she decided to leave university and move back to her families home for support. Arik decided to stay at the university, which was in a different city in Utah. "Being away from Arik was harder than I thought. My hormones were all over the place," she told The Mirror. "On 24 March 2015, Arik and I had a fight. The pressure on us had become too much and we started to argue over text." Unveiling the Hidden Lives of Mormon Wives "Little did I know that Arik was driving while texting me. Frustrated, I stopped replying to his messages." Mayci didn't think much of it when he stopped replying, that was until she checked social media later that day. Tragic Realisation While scrolling through Instagram, she noticed a series of tribute posts to her boyfriend. She saw a post that read: "I'll miss you, Arik", which had a photo of him. The next post said, "RIP." Shocked by what she was seeing, she called his father, who confirmed Arik had tragically passed away due to texting and driving and had been killed on impact. 7 7 Reflecting on that time of heartbreak, the reality TV star said: "I was 13 weeks and 5 days pregnant. Me and him got into a disagreement. I remember calling him and hoping he would answer. Mayci Neeley "Mainly me, I was upset with him, and we were sending texts back and forth and one of his texts was unfinished at the end of it. "I remember calling him and hoping he would answer. And the worst part of it was just hearing the dial tone and being like, 'Please God, answer the phone.' And I called his dad and his dad told me that he passed away in a car accident... It was the most traumatic time of my life." "I was utterly destroyed. I had no idea that he was driving – I never would have replied to him if I knew," she continued. "Arik was my best friend and suddenly, he was gone." "My baby would never be held by their father. It was too much to bear." Tragically, Mayci found out the day after he boyfriend died that she was having a baby boy. The pregnant teen sank into a deep depression as she tried to cope with the grief while carrying their only child, Hudson. The loss of the life she had imagined with Arik was too much for Mayci, who also revealed she received negative comments from those around her. "You're young, you have plenty of time to find a father for your son," said one, while another quipped: "At least you'll never have to co-parent." In September 20115, Mayci gave birth to their son and says he saved her life. Speaking on the show, Mayci said: "I truly feel like he was my first love, and it just destroyed me. "I didn't want to live, to be honest, and if it wasn't for my son, I don't even know if I'd be here today." 7 Finding Love Again Mayci decided to make the brave decision to go back to university while navigating being a single mum. When Hudson was seven months old, Jacob Neeley came into her life after meeting through mutual friends. "I was terrified of getting hurt again but after four months, I couldn't deny my feelings any longer. He was kind and funny and made me feel safe," she wrote for The Mirror. The pair began dating and were engaged in November 2017 before getting married in 2018. Jacob has since gone on to adopt Hudson, and he and Mayci had a daughter through IVF called Harlow. Now Mayci is pregnant again and announced the news on social media. "Baby #3 is on the way and we couldn't be happier!" she wrote in an Instagram post. Where to seek grief support Need professional help with grief? Child Bereavement UK Cruse Bereavement Relate The Good Grief Trust You can also always speak to your GP if you're struggling. You're Not Alone Check out these books, podcasts and apps that all expertly navigate grief… Griefcast: Cariad Lloyd interviews comedians on this award-winning podcast. The Madness Of Grief by Rev Richard Coles (£9.99, W&N): The Strictly fave writes movingly on losing his husband David to alcoholism. Terrible, Thanks For Asking: Podcast host Nora McInerny encourages non-celebs to share how they're really feeling. Good Mourning by Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn (£14.99, Murdoch Books): A guide for people who've suffered sudden loss, like the authors who both lost their mums. Grief Works: Download this for daily meditations and expert tips. How To Grieve Like A Champ by Lianna Champ (£3.99, Red Door Press): A book for improving your relationship with death.
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Tarek El Moussa cited for battery after knocking man out in violent Las Vegas altercation
Tarek El Moussa was involved in a scuffle which resulted in him brutally knocking another man out in Las Vegas. can confirm that the 43-year-old HGTV was cited for the incident but was not arrested over it. Sources told that Tarek was defending his elderly father when the ugly altercation occurred. has also reached out HGTV for comment. A spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that the Flipping El Moussas star and another male were involved in an altercation last Thursday at The Palazzo at the Venetian Resort. Witnesses told TMZ that Tarek had delivered a brutal knee to the man's head which knocked him out cold. According to the site, one of the witnesses had called the incident 'bad' and that the other person involved looked in rough shape. It remains unclear what started the altercation but it has been said that it had escalated quickly and that the alleged victim had refused medical attention. This is not the first time that Tarek has been involved in a legal matter.
