Cole Palmer swapped the football field for the red carpet on Tuesday night, stepping out with his influencer girlfriend Connie Grace for the first time at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London.
The Chelsea midfielder, smartly dressed in a black suit and bow tie, attended the glamorous event at The Roof Gardens. Grace, also from Manchester, complemented Palmer’s look with an elegant black dress that highlighted her toned stomach.
The couple, who were reportedly together for about three months, went public with their relationship with this debut appearance. Palmer also shared the spotlight with his mother, Marie, who joined him for photos at the event.
The evening marked a proud moment for Marie as her son enjoyed the recognition of a defining year for both club and country and celebrated with the likes of Usain Bolt.
Palmer’s girlfriend is a nail technician, but she travels regularly and posts updates to her Instagram profile, which has more than 16,000 followers despite only having 72 photos.
palmer She often likes her posts, including sultry bikini photos from her idyllic vacation. However, her most recent photo was taken at Stamford Bridge and captioned: “Fur Season.”
Cole Palmer made his first public appearance with his influencer girlfriend Connie Grace (right) at the GQ Men of the Year Awards.
Palmer also posed for a photo with her mother Marie (left) at the stylish event in London.
Palmer’s Chelsea teammate Noni Madueke wore AMIRI FW24 when she appeared at the event after playing for England last week.
Palmer and Grace are said to have flown to Ibiza on a private jet in August, where they enjoyed a “quick trip” together, dining on the port and sharing a romantic candlelit meal.
Grace has also been seen posing alongside the Chelsea star after he collected the PFA Young Player of the Year award in September. However, the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London was his first official appearance.
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke also appeared at the GQ Men of the Year Awards on Tuesday night, fresh from outstanding performances for England against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
The 22-year-old impressed during last week’s international matches, contributing with an assist in England’s 3-0 win over Greece in Athens in the absence of Bukayo Saka.
Although he was calmer in Sunday’s 5-0 win over Ireland at Wembley, Madueke helped the Three Lions secure promotion to the Nations League in Lee Carsley’s final game as caretaker manager.
For the red carpet event, Madueke wore AMIRI FW24 and opted for a smart-casual look, pairing a black cardigan with a crisp white shirt.
Palmer and Madueke are likely to return to training on Wednesday, with Chelsea returning to action against Leicester in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.
The former withdrew from the England squad last week due to injury but has since returned to training and is expected to be fit for the weekend trip to the King Power Stadium.
Palmer’s father Jermaine was also pictured alongside the Chelsea star on Tuesday night.
Grace is a nail technician, but she travels regularly and posts updates to her Instagram profile, which has over 16,000 followers despite only having 72 photos.
Grace’s most recent photo was captioned: ‘Fur Season’ and featured two photos of Grace posing at Stamford Bridge (pictured above).
Both Palmer and Mainoo were photographed alongside Usain Bolt on Tuesday night.
Another rising star from England, Kobbie Mainoo, joined the evening’s festivities in Kensington on Tuesday night.
The Manchester United teenager, sidelined by injury in recent weeks, sported a stylish Bottega Veneta leather jacket and trousers, complemented by a white t-shirt.
Mainoo returned to training earlier this week under new United manager Ruben Amorim and could return in Sunday’s clash against Ipswich.
Palmer and Mainoo were interviewed on the red carpet for a variety of fun social media videos that were posted on GQ TikTok page.
When asked if he would prefer to score an own goal or be substituted in the first half, Palmer said: “Own goal.” When they substitute you in the first half, it’s bad. It just damages your reputation. It has never happened to me that I touch wood.
The interviewer continued by asking him if he would prefer to score a goal from the halfway line or score a bicycle kick, to which Palmer replied: “That’s difficult, I don’t know.” I feel like a bicycle kick is more difficult. I can’t really ride a bike. I can practice though.’
Mainoo was asked similar questions, with the interviewer asking whether he would prefer to score an own goal or receive a red card. The Manchester United star was quick to respond: “Red card.”
Mainoo went on to explain his decision. He said: “It depends on what the red card is actually for.” But an own goal for me is the worst thing that can happen to me. Yes, for me it’s definitely the worst.”
The interviewer threw another question at Mainoo, asking if he would prefer to miss a penalty or be substituted in the first half. The 19-year-old immediately responded: “I’m sure you’ll miss a penalty.”
And he added: “Anyone can miss a penalty, you know?” It’s just a kick in the game, it happens and you move on. But being substituted in the first half is difficult to accept.”
The interviewer ended by asking if Mainoo would prefer to score a goal from the halfway line or score a bicycle kick. Mainoo replied: ‘Bicycle kick’ before concluding the interview.
However, Mainoo’s media duties were not the end of the night. She was later asked to describe the outfit she was wearing and offer her fashion tips to those watching GQ’s TikTok.
Mainoo said: ‘Be whatever you want to be, you know? A lot of people say: be yourself or you can be whatever you want to be. So dress however you want and embrace it fully.’
Mainoo went on to reveal his favorite food and the song he listens to the most right now. “The Hope is Romantic by Action Bronson is the song I listen to the most and my favorite food is my mother’s peanut butter and rice soup,” he said.