SHE sold 55million records worldwide as lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls and is a huge hit on Broadway – but Nicole Scherzinger says she is no diva.
The singer revealed she was “devastated” by suggestions fame had gone to her head after she was 45 minutes late for a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London earlier this month.
But she insisted she was not “twiddling her thumbs” backstage during the delay. Instead, she told how she was dashing around making sure her one-woman show, An Evening With . . . was planned to perfection.
The former X Factor judge also admitted a timings mix-up meant she had no idea how late she really was.
In an exclusive chat with The Sun, Nicole, 47 — who won a Tony and an Olivier Award for her portrayal of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and scored a UK No1 with its soundtrack — said: “It wasn’t until after I was done that I found out people had been sitting there for so long.
“I was devastated and I was horrified, ’cause I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I would be frustrated as well if I were told to sit there for so long’. I think they had to be in their seats for, like 7.15pm, or something, but I thought my show was due to start at 8pm.
“I just want to thank people, thank everyone, because everybody stayed and, by the end, they were all up on their feet dancing with me.
‘Disney fairytale’
“I want to thank them for their patience and their generosity for sticking it out with me and I appreciate their understanding.”
Nicole, who is engaged to former rugby union player Thom Evans, explained that she was so busy, she did not even have time to do a full run-through with her orchestra.
She said: “I had an orchestra that I had never met before and I didn’t even get to soundcheck all my songs with them. You’re dealing with putting the show together and I had a meet-and-greet.
“I was just so focused on trying to make it the best show that I could for the Royal Albert Hall.
“I’m busting my balls back there to make sure it’s the best show for everyone.
“So I was like, ‘OK, if I’m 15 minutes late, then, you know, the most important thing is I put on the most memorable, best show that I can for these people’. It’s a wonder I made it out 15 or 20 minutes late after I thought my time was 8pm.”
The show, which has been her dream ever since she was a little girl, was packed full of stars including Andrew LLoyd Webber, singer Alexandra Burke and The Greatest Showman filmmaker Michael Gracey.
It was filmed by Nicole’s team so she can distribute it later, rather than in a big-budget deal with the likes of ITV or Netflix.
Her proud fiance Thom, 40, was at the sold-out venue to watch her on stage. The pair have been together since meeting on The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019.
Nicole was a judge and Scots hunk Thom was one third of rugby boyband Try Star, with Ben Foden and the late Levi Davis. He popped the question in June 2023, and the couple are set to finally say, “I do” soon.
I’m so excited. Thom wants to wear a Scottish kilt. How cool would that be? It will be beautiful. To think this guy from one island met this girl from this little island in the Pacific and came together. It’s like some Disney fairytale.
Nicole on prospect of marriage to Thom
Nicole said: “Definitely we want to get married. I mean, listen, Norma Desmond and Sunset Boulevard took the past two years of my life, which was life-challenging but worth it.
“But we’re super-excited to get married, and we plan on getting married in Hawaii. That’s where I was born and my papa is an Archbishop there, so we plan on getting married in Hawaii, hopefully soon.
“I’m so excited. Thom wants to wear a Scottish kilt. How cool would that be? It will be beautiful. To think this guy from one island met this girl from this little island in the Pacific and came together. It’s like some Disney fairytale.”
When I tell Nicole I don’t know how she gets any sleep lying next to the buff sportsman every night, she lets out a cheeky giggle and reveals: “Ironically, I get the most sleep I’ve ever gotten in my life laying next to him because I’ve never been much of a sleeper.
“I’m alive at night, but Thom really loves his rest and is a good sleeper.
“He’s helped me get into a routine, and I just now realise the value of sleep and how important it is for your health. It’s truly essential.
“But yeah, he is a Greek God,” she concedes. “He’s literally a Greek God. The other day, we were running. I didn’t even want to run any more, but I just kept running to watch him run.
“I was like, ‘I’m just chasing you ’cause you’re so hot’.”
Reflecting on how she and Thom both love to laugh, Nicole went on: “I’m very goofy and there’s a very goofy side to Thom. Life and work can get stressful sometimes.
“So it’s really nice to be able to have someone to take the edge off, to not take things so seriously all the time and to make you laugh.
“It’s the little things and that’s what makes it worthwhile. Thom has a really great sense of humour, so that’s one of the things we truly bond over, kind of just being goofy together.”
It’s no secret Nicole enjoys the finer things in life, with millions in the bank, couture gowns galore and jetting back and forth to the States as regularly as I get the Tube.
It was actually hard to pin her down for a chat due to her relentlessly busy schedule. But when she and I eventually got on a call, as she sat in a swanky airport lounge, it was clear Nicole was keen to give me her undivided attention.
She was also quick to express her gratitude to myself and her fans for being patient with her time-keeping. As I picked up the phone, she softly purred: “Hi Jack, thank you so much for your patience and your time. I’ve had a busy schedule.
“But I’m here at the airport and I’ve found a space where I can give you all my attention.”
In fact, she remained on the call to me as she strutted to her plane. I presume, unlike my own flights, which see me enjoying a pint of Stella at Wetherspoon’s before dragging a wobbly suitcase to my gate, that Nicole’s journey to her seat was far more refined.
Two decades in the spotlight have at times been taxing for her, with reported infighting among the Pussycat Dolls and endless headlines from her X Factor days.
Happy and at peace
She has also had a series of disappointing relationships in the public eye, with the likes of Bulgarian tennis ace Grigor Dimitrov and British F1 legend Lewis Hamilton, before finding “The One” in Thom.
The past few years haven’t been so much proving it to others, but more a challenge to prove to myself to take on this role in the way I wanted and to push myself to a place I’ve never been, artistically.
Nicole
Simon Cowell even warned her, “No more sportsmen, babe” as she swooned over Thom during his X Factor audition. But Nicole is keen to stress she is finally happy and at peace with her life — crediting her relationship and therapy for teaching her boundaries and self-worth.
She said: “We can thank a good healthy relationship for that, but I don’t want to negate the work that I’ve done. I have done a lot of work on myself and continue to.
“It’s obviously important to be in a healthy relationship. One of the biggest decisions you’ll make is the person that you choose to spend the rest of your life with, right?
“But the other side of it is you, and I’ve definitely put a lot of work into myself. I think that’s why I’m in the best place of my life, because I’ve learned the word ‘boundaries’.
“I’m a lot more confident in my self-worth and valuing myself more now, and those things are important. Healthy boundaries, that’s how you get a healthy relationship, and the love and respect for the other person and for yourself.”
Nicole continues: “Thom adds a lot of balance to my life. I’m very fortunate that I now have a relationship where two individuals support one another.
“It’s a blessing to be able to have someone who doesn’t compete with me, but just lifts me up.”
Despite battling insecurities and being “disheartened and disappointed” by the industry, Nicole says she never doubted that she would make it.
She adds: “I think that coming from the pop world, sometimes you’re stereotyped and pigeonholed doing one thing and people question, ‘Oh, can she sing and what can she do’?, They underestimate the depth of you and your artistry.
“I’ve always believed that my talent and my hard work will eventually speak for themselves.
“I’ve been very disheartened, very disappointed . . . you know, ’cause you wonder why it’s taking so long. Because the years go by so fast.
“The past few years haven’t been so much proving it to others, but more a challenge to prove to myself to take on this role in the way I wanted and to push myself to a place I’ve never been, artistically.”
She concludes: “I always say the cream will always rise to the top.
“And it just might take a little bit longer, but that’s OK, ’cause when you get there, the triumph and the victory is that much sweeter.”
