At tonight's Oscars, it's lights, camera, bump!
Vanessa Hudgens, known for her star turns in the beloved High School Musical franchise, has revealed that she is now stepping into a new role — mom-to-be!
The 35-year-old actress dropped an Oscar-worthy bombshell while walking the red carpet at glitzy Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles prior to tonight's Academy Awards.
Hudgens set tongues wagging and cameras flashing as she proudly flaunted her burgeoning baby bump in a stunning black gown, as she prepares to welcome her first child with husband Cole Tucker.
The big reveal comes on the heels of their dreamy nuptials in Tulum, Mexico, just three months ago, where the lovebirds exchanged vows in a fairy tale setting that even Cinderella would envy. Speaking to Vogue in December, Vanessa gushed about the magic of their wedding day, confessing: "I couldn't have dreamt it to be any better. I knew it was going to be magical, but it exceeded my expectations."
But let's rewind a bit, shall we? How did this Hollywood heartthrob and the baseball beau first hit it out of the park?
Well, back in 2020, Vanessa parted ways with ex-boyfriend and Elvis star Austin Butler. That's when fate intervened in the most modern of ways — a Zoom meditation session hosted by none other than Jay Shetty (very "2020" if we do say so).
"I was literally on the Zoom with my girlfriend, and I started hitting her asking who he was," Vanessa recounted to Vogue. "So I proceeded to look on the Zoom square to find out his name and found him on Instagram—and he sent a DM the next day."
And thus, a new celebrity love story was born! Fast forward to Valentine's Day 2021, and Vanessa and Cole make it Instagram official, sending fans into a frenzy with their adorable snapshots of romance. The pièce de résistance? A swoon-worthy proposal in the City of Love itself—Paris! "YES," Vanessa exclaimed on Instagram, flashing her dazzling oval diamond ring. "We couldn't be happier."
Vanessa's certainty about Cole being "the one" was palpable from the start. "I knew," she revealed on an episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. "After our first weekend together, I called my sister and I was like, 'I think I just found my future husband.'"
But hold onto your heartstrings, folks, because there's more! Cole, ever the romantic, had already set his sights on Vanessa long before they crossed paths.
In a tweet from all the way back in 2012, he put it out into the universe: "In search of: A girl who's down to watch High School Musical with me and scratch my back." And boy, did he hit a home run with that wish!
As the curtain rises on this next chapter for Vanessa and Cole, we're all eagerly awaiting the arrival of their bundle of joy — a sequel to their love story that promises to be their greatest adventure yet.
Congratulations all around!
