Sam Fender dating Raye after getting cosy with pop star backstage at Brits Awards
SCOOPING a Brit award is not the only reason why SAM FENDER is smiling.
We can reveal that the singer-songwriter has been on a string of dates with fellow pop star Raye, who turned heads at the awards show in a revealing Versace dress held together by giant safety pins.
Our exclusive snaps show the pair in an intimate clinch backstage at the bash on Tuesday night at the O2, where Geordie Sam picked up the gong for Best Rock/Alternative act from Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
The duo later partied at Sam’s private Brits bash at hipster joint Four Quarters, in Peckham, South London, with all of Sam’s mates and US Good 4 U chart-topper Olivia Rodrigo.
Flying the flag for awards bashes of old, Sam was snapped looking the worse for wear, clutching a can of lager.
A source said: “Sam and Raye met each other on the music scene and get on really well.
“It’s very early days but they’ve spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks and have been on a string of low-key, secret dates.
“They really respect each other and have loads in common.”
Sam was first tipped for great things when he won the Critics’ Choice award at the Brits in 2019 and has since become a fully fledged rock star.
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He scored his second No 1 album with Seventeen Going Under in October, and also reached No 3 in the singles charts with the title track.
Next month, he will embark on a huge arena tour across the UK, which is selling out fast.
Raye, meanwhile, has been nominated for a hat-trick of Brit awards.
In 2018 she was linked to rapper Drake and has since opened up about falling hard for lovers.
She told Hunger mag: “I can’t half love someone — I can’t lie.
“When I’m singing those lyrics, I need you to hear them and I need you to feel the pain that I’ve been through and that we’ve all probably been through.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve.”
Here’s hoping for a duet.
Gwen's stripe tease
GWEN Stefani shows off her wild side as she performs in this sexy tiger-print get-up.
The No Doubt singer, who was backed up by dancers in matching outfits, held nothing back as she belted out a series of hits for a 20,000-strong crowd in LA.
Gwen was revving up football fans at the Super Bowl Music Fest ahead of tonight’s big game, which sees the Los Angeles Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
And after she left the stage, the audience must have been roaring to go.
Fair play to Gwen for her bold fashion choice.
Next time we’re invited to an animal-themed fancy dress party, we’ll know who to tap up for inspiration.
Ed Westwick's date revealed
GOSSIP Girl star Ed Westwick is living up to his on-screen character Chuck Bass’s reputation by dating a beautiful brunette.
We can reveal Ed has been wooing British Bollywood actress Amy Jackson.
The pair met at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival in December and have been secretly romancing ever since.
Ed split from South African model Tamara Francesconi in October after two years of dating.
Amy has been single since breaking off her engagement to businessman George Panayiotou last summer.
A pal told us: “Ed and Amy are a really good match. They hit it off straight away.
“Both like to have fun and are career-driven. They’re enjoying getting to know each other for now.”
Elsewhere, we can reveal that Walsall songstress Jorja Smith, below, has found love too.
After her fling with superstar rapper Drake, Jorja has moved on with grime artist Suspect OTB.
We’re told by a mole: “They met through the music scene and are really into each other.”
Love is certainly in the air right now.
Bad ender to Chloe's match
CELEBRITY Hunted’s Chloe Veitch was given the cold shoulder by an EastEnders regular when they matched on a star dating app.
Chloe told how she was taken aback when the household name told her: “Actors don’t deal with reality stars.”
She revealed: “I would love to be in East- Enders. I spoke to somebody from the soap on Raya. But when he found out I was in reality TV, he said, ‘Us actors don’t deal with reality stars because we don’t think you’ve got any talents’.
“I won’t say the name because it’s very embarrassing for him.”
Posh & beds
VICTORIA Beckham has spent more than £2,000 on designer beds and treats for her dogs.
Each of her three cocker spaniels now has a plush crate in their Miami, Cotswolds and London homes.
The bedding sets, which include a crate, cover, bumper and cushion, start at £274.99 and can cost up to £384.99.
Posh also bought her pets, Olive, Fig and Sage, luxury blankets and coats.
A source told how the final bill from luxury brand Lords And Labradors made Victoria’s husband David joke: “At least if I’m in the dog house with Victoria, I’ll be sleeping well.”
The source added: “It seems like in the Beckham households it really is a dog’s life.”
Kimberley's a cast-off
DANCING On Ice star Kimberly Wyatt may be flying on the rink, but the singer was frozen out of the cast WhatsApp group.
Until recently the Pussycat Dolls beauty – who topped the leaderboard last Sunday with partner Mark Hanretty – was unaware the group even existed, sources say.
And she felt a little snubbed when she learned that other cast members had been messaging each other, unbeknown to her.
One source says: “Kimberly didn’t know about the WhatsApp group, and when she found out it was feeling a little awkward, to say the least.
“She did feel a little excluded, especially as she has been getting on well with the others.”
A show insider insisted last night that Kimberly was not the only cast member not included in the group.
They added: “No one really uses the WhatsApp – instead they all DM each other.”
Still sounds a bit frosty.
Nathalie: Brit movies still failing on race
NATHALIE Emmanuel has slammed the UK film industry as “frustrating” for actors of colour.
The former Hollyoaks beauty, who found global fame as Daenerys Targaryen’s advisor Missandei in Game Of Thrones, thinks that Britain is way behind America in terms of equality of opportunities in movies.
Nathalie, right, said: “We lose so much black and brown talent to the States because the British industry just doesn’t hold space in a meaning- ful, significant way. It’s frustrating.
“All cultures and ethnicities were being seen for parts in the US and not just ‘the best friend’ or ‘the receptionist’ bit parts – it was lead roles and significant characters.
“Even now some British black people I know in the industry who have played lead roles in the US have come back to the UK and the parts they are being asked to audition for are just minor. We are still battling that.”
Speaking on The Way We Are With Munro Bergdorf podcast she added: “I don’t see that happening to my white counterparts.”
Ed's anger
ED Sheeran has blasted Adele's critics, who trashed her for pulling out of her Las Vegas gigs.
The Oh My God hitmaker, who won three Brit awards last week while Ed took home just one, blamed “delivery delays and Covid” for halting work on the big- budget production of the shows.
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Backing her decision to postpone, Ed said: “She’s just one of the best performers that Britain has and we should be really proud of her as an export and I think it’s really great that we’re celebrating her.”
When asked if he’d ever do a Vegas residency, he said: “Maybe.” It would give us Shivers . . .