Cole Palmer traded the football field for the red carpet on Tuesday evening and stepped out with his influencer girlfriend Connie Grace for the first time at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London.
The Chelsea midfielder, sharply dressed in a black suit and bow tie, attended the glamorous event at Kensington Roof Gardens. Grace, also from Manchester, complemented Palmer’s look in a tight black dress that highlighted her toned midriff.
The couple, reportedly together for about three months, made their relationship public with this debut performance. Palmer also shared the spotlight with his mother, Marie, who had her photo taken with him at the event.
The evening marked a proud moment for Marie, as her son basked in the recognition of a breakthrough year for both club and country and partied with the likes of Usain Bolt.
Palmer’s girlfriend is said to be a nail technician but travels regularly to post updates to her Instagram profile, which has more than 16,000 followers despite only having 72 photos.
Palmer regularly loves her uploads, including sultry bikini snaps from her idyllic vacations. However, her most recent photo was taken at Stamford Bridge – with the caption: ‘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 his mother Marie (left) at the chic event in London
Palmer’s Chelsea teammate Noni Madueke was also in attendance 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 out on the port and sharing a romantic candlelit meal.
Grace also posed 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 marked their first official appearance.
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke also made an appearance at the GQ Men of the Year Awards on Tuesday evening – fresh from his standout performances for England against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
The 22-year-old impressed in last week’s international matches, providing an assist in England’s 3-0 win over Greece in Athens in Bukayo Saka’s absence.
Although Madueke was quieter in Sunday’s 5-0 win over Ireland at Wembley, he helped the Three Lions secure promotion to the Nations League in Lee Carsley’s final game as interim manager.
For the red carpet event, Madueke opted for a smart-casual look, pairing a black cardigan with a crisp white shirt.
Palmer and Madueke are likely to be straight back into training on Wednesday, while Chelsea are back in action against Leicester in the lunch kick-off on Saturday.
The former withdrew from the England squad last week due to injury, but has now 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
Grace is a nail technician but travels regularly and posts updates on her Instagram profile, which has over 16,000 followers despite only having 72 photos
Grace’s most recent photo was captioned: ‘Fur season’ and included two photos of Grace posing at Stamford Bridge (pictured above)
Both Palmer and Mainoo were photographed with Usain Bolt on Tuesday evening
Another rising English star, Kobbie Mainoo, attended the evening’s festivities in Kensington on Tuesday night.
The Manchester United teenager, who has been sidelined due to injury in recent weeks, wore a sleek Bottega Veneta leather jacket and trousers, complemented by a white T-shirt.
Mainoo returned to training under new United manager Ruben Amorim earlier this week and could make his return in Sunday’s match against Ipswich.
Palmer and Mainoo were both interviewed on the red carpet for a series of hilarious social media videos that were subsequently released GQ’s TikTok page.
When asked whether he would rather score an own goal or be sent off in the first half, Palmer replied: ‘Own goal. If you get subbed in the first half, that’s bad. It only hurts your reputation. It’s never happened to me before that I touched wood.’
The interviewer went on to ask whether he would rather score 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 harder. I can’t really ride a bike. I can practice.’
Mainoo was asked similar questions, with the interviewer wondering whether he would rather score an own goal or receive a red card. The Man United star quickly replied: ‘Red card’.
Mainoo further explained his decision. He said: ‘It depends what the red card is actually for. But for me an own goal is the worst that can happen. Yes, for me this is absolutely the worst.’
The interviewer fired another question at Mainoo, asking whether he would rather miss a penalty or be eliminated in the first half. The 19-year-old immediately received the answer: ‘Definitely miss a penalty’.
He continued: ‘Anyone can miss a penalty, you know. It’s just one kick in the game, it happens and you move on. But it’s difficult to come on in the first half.”
The interviewer ended by asking whether Mainoo would rather score a goal from the halfway line or score a bicycle kick. Mainoo replied, “Bicycle kick” before wrapping up the interview.
However, this was not the end of Mainoo’s media duties for the evening. He was later asked to describe the outfit he wore and give his fashion advice to those watching GQ’s TikTok.
Mainoo said, “Be what you want to be, you know. Many people say: be yourself, or you can be whatever you want. So dress how you want to dress and embrace it fully.”
Mainoo then revealed his favorite meal and the song he is currently listening to the most. “The Hope is Romantic by Action Bronson is the song I listen to the most and my favorite meal is my mom’s peanut butter soup and rice,” he said.