Tulisa, Nicole win Cosmo Women of the Year awards

Tulisa, Nicole win Cosmo Women of the Year awards
Tulisa, Nicole win Cosmo Women of the Year awards (Image credit: PA)

X Factor rivals Tulisa Contostavlos and Nicole Scherzinger both landed awards at the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year. The singers took time out from mentoring this year's finalists to celebrate at a lavish ceremony at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The former N-Dubz star was presented with the Ultimate TV Personality award, while ex-Pussycat Doll Nicole was named Ultimate Fun Fearless Female. As she took to the stage to accept her award, Tulisa said: "For the first time in many nights I'm actually sober! Giving myself applause for that!" The X Factor judge thanked Cosmopolitan for putting her on the cover of the magazine and apologised for dying her blonde hair back to brunette just before it was published. Arriving at the awards Nicole Scherzinger described her white backless dress as 'like a mullet - it's like business at the front and party at the back'. She was presented with her award by her X Factor finalists and said: "It made it so much better to have my little pumpkins up there giving it to me." Cheryl Cole, who was replaced by Tulisa as a judge on the UK X Factor, and by Nicole on the US X Factor judging panel, won Ultimate Pop Star. Accepting her Style Icon award, Kelly Osbourne said she felt her style had much improved over the years. She added: "Thank you so much Cosmo, when you put me on the cover of your magazine it gave me so much self esteem." Fresh Meat star Zawe Ashton was presented with the Best Newcomer gong by her co-star Jack Whitehall. She joked: "Thanks Jack, I did want Nicole Scherzinger, but thank you." One Direction's Harry Styles said in a video message: "We cannot believe we've been voted Ultimate Men of the Year because most people still say that we're boys." The Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women of the Year Awards 2012 with VO5 were hosted by Radio 1 DJ Fearne Cotton.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.