The Unusual Way Nicole Scherzinger And Thom Evans' Romance Began

Nicole Scherzinger and Thom Evans may have had drastically different careers that led them to their fame, but they are more similar than you might think. The one significant thing they have in common plays into how they first met — they're both singers. The couple first met on "The X Factor: Celebrity" in 2019 when the Pussycat Dolls frontwoman was a judge and the former rugby union player was a contestant.

In the special season of the United Kingdom singing competition series, rugby stars Evans, Ben Foden, and Levi Davis teamed up to perform as a boy band by the name Try Star. Their covers throughout the season included hits like "No Diggity" and "The Greatest Showman." Scherzinger — a friend of the late Liam Payne, who got his start on the syndicated show — looked particularly excited when the trio performed a sexy rendition of Ginuwine's "Pony."

Try Star was eliminated in the semi-finals, but not before the judges poked fun at Scherzinger. After their performance of The Greatest Showman to kick off Live Show 5 of the season, Scherzinger told the group, "Last week you were winning wet T-shirt contests and this week you look like a million bucks" (via Daily Motion). Fellow judges Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh teased her about how much she doted on the trio, with Cowell quipping, "In all the years I've worked with Nicole — true story — I have never seen her smile like this." Panning the camera back to Try Star, Foden grabbed Evans' shoulder as the rugby player blushed — possibly revealing he had a thing going with Scherzinger.

Nicole Scherzinger and Thom Evans kept their relationship under wraps, but they first showed up publicly together on the red carpet at the 2020 InStyle and Warner Bros. Pictures Golden Globe Afterparty in Beverly Hills. Rumors had circulated about them being an item when they looked cozy in London together before the event, but their appearance on the red carpet, and subsequent "Instagram official" post from Scherzinger after the fact, confirmed it all.

In August 2020, a source told Us Weekly that "Nicole and Thom got very serious very quickly," adding that they were over the moon with each other when they first became an item. "They're super cute and have a blast together. Nicole feels very lucky to have found Thom," said the insider.

Scherzinger's dating chapter came to a close when in June 2023, Evans posted to Instagram with the surprise that he proposed to The Pussycat Dolls member on the beach, captioning the sweet photo: "My ever after." Scherzinger also posted the moment on Instagram, writing, "I said yes" — no surprise there! Fans were ecstatic in the comments, with congratulations, wishing them a happy marriage. Wishful thinking is that these two pitch "X Factor: Couples Edition" to the studio execs!