A County Durham couple took fans by surprise when they got engaged during Sam Fender’s homecoming gig at St James’ Park in Newcastle.

Nicole Dawson, 23, and 27-year-old now fiancée Brad Wilson were met with cheers from hundreds of people in St James’ Park as Brad popped the question at the gig on Friday June 9.

The couple had first bonded over the North Shields megastar back in 2021 when they met on Tinder, which then led to Brad getting down on one knee after Sam finished singing smash hit Seventeen Going Under.

Read more: REVIEW: Sam Fender's Newcastle homecoming is stunning

Following the day, Nicole has said their engagement was “perfect” after friends and family helped the special proposal go ahead.

The Northern Echo: Nicole and Brad outside St James' Park.Nicole and Brad outside St James' Park. (Image: NICOLE DAWSON)

She said: “It was such a perfect engagement for us as we are big Sam Fender fans and Newcastle season ticket holders, so Brad did good planning it!

“It was honestly such a blur, neither of us can remember what he said when he got down on one knee because there were so many cameras in our face and so many people screaming and shouting.”

Read next:

Get more from The Northern Echo with a Premium Plus Digital Subscription for as little as £1.50 a week

The pair, who are both Newcastle United season ticket holders, can now plan their dream wedding that will no doubt include Geordie singer's music ahead of the football club taking part in the Champions League next year.

Shields lad Sam Fender played two gigs at St James’ Park in what has been dubbed his ‘homecoming’ as he played to a sold-out stadium on June 9 and 10.

Playing classics including Will We Talk? and Howdon Aldi Death Queue, Fender delighted audiences who could be spotted waving black and white flags and dancing in mosh pits until the show ended at roughly 11pm.

The first of the two shows saw Sam bring out older brother Liam Fender out on to the stage to sing a heartwarming duet of Bruce Springsteen's I'm on Fire.

Fans who attended the second night were also in for a treat as Sam brought out AC/DC star Brian Johnson as the pair performed Back In Black and You Shook Me All Night Long to the screaming crowd.

Part of the set also saw the singer thank the audience in between songs, stating that performing at St James’ one day was an in joke when he first formed his band.