Evans formed a boy band called Try Star with two other rugby players to compete in the singing show – and while they had to settle for fifth place in the competition, he did win the heart of one of the judges.
Since then, the pair have been practically inseparable, appearing often on each other's Instagram accounts.
Accompanying a series of photos of herself and Evans in exotic locations, Scherzinger wrote:
"Thank you God for another year around the sun. For a new day, fresh breath in my lungs and my heart beating stronger than ever, I am so grateful. Thank you for your grace and this unexpected gift of time.
"Thank you for the joy and overwhelming love I am able to receive today from family, friends and so many around the world. Thank you for being so good to me and for never giving up on me, you've shown me the true meaning of love, happiness & peace, and I am eternally grateful."
It comes as the couple recently travelled from London to Portugal mid-pandemic so that Scherzinger could meet Evans' parents for the first time.
The new couple have had plenty of downtime to get to know each other: Scherzinger had rejoined the Pussycat Dolls for a reunion in the months before coronavirus hit, with the group visiting Australia mere days before travel restrictions came into effect. They were due to visit our shores again in May for arena shows as part of a world tour – all nixed for now.
With few other outlets for performing, Scherzinger's enlisted her athlete boyfriend for a few entertaining videos to keep fans entertained – like their surprising performance of the Pussycats' banger Buttons:
Or this domestic ballroom moment:
Evans previously dated actress Kelly Brook until 2013. Scherzinger was in an on-again, off-again relationship with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton until the pair split for good in 2015.
And of course, Scherzinger isn't the only reality TV judge to unexpectedly find love while looking for talent – X Factor judge Cheryl Cole famously went on to date Liam Payne after first meeting him when he auditioned for her in 2008 at the age of 14. She was 24. The pair were in a relationship from 2016 to 2018, having a son together in 2017.
