Nicole Scherzinger 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.’
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Nicole Scherzinger planted a celebratory kiss on her fiancé Thom Evans , after emotionally accepting her first ever Tony Awards 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
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’
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 graтιтude 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.
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 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’
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
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
Cole Escola won for Oh, Mary!, triumphing over George Clooney
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!
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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’.
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
The ex-Glasgow Warriors rugby league player popped the question while on holiday in Portugal back in July 2023
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 (pictured in 2024)
In 2021, Thom opened up on his relationship with Nicole, telling how he was ‘mᴀssively 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 mᴀssively 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
ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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 — ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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 — ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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
ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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 Bergᴀsse — 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 ʙuттerworth
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 — ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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 — ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd — Sunset Blvd.
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
ᴅᴇᴀᴅ 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
