John Legend grew emotional as he paid tribute to his wife Chrissy Teigen at Glamour’s Women of the Year awards on Monday (12.11.18).
The ‘All of Me’ hitmaker described himself as the ‘Lip Sync Battle’ star’s "trophy husband" and hailed his spouse as the "heart and soul" of their family, which includes daughter Luna, two, and five-month-old Miles.
He said: "I have a career in the music business, but we all know who the star of the family is. She’s the heart and soul of the family too.
"I am very much in love with this woman. I mean, obviously, I guess. She is my wife. And she is the mother of our daughter Luna and our son Miles.
"But I’m not the only one who loves her. Many millions of people who aren’t married or related to her love her too.
"Everywhere I go, I meet people, fans, who used to ask me for an autograph or tell me how much they love my music. Now, the number one comment I get from people who USED to be MY fans is how much they LOVE Chrissy. She gets bigger cheers than I do at my own concerts. They love her!"
The 39-year-old singer joked about his own career when he hailed Chrissy as an inspiration to many.
He continued: "She inspires so many people and so many women. I mean, she’s the kind of woman you write songs about. Huge, international, award-winning songs…but this is about Chrissy. Have you heard songs written for Chrissy before? One of them went to number one on the Billboard charts."
John went on to credit social media for the rise in 32-year-old Chrissy’s popularity because it’s allowed her to be herself.
He explained: "Sometimes social media feels like it’s going to be the death of civilisation. But it hasn’t been a complete fail. Hear me out, here…
"I think the world may have missed out on Chrissy’s full awesomeness if it weren’t for social media. She would have never fully shone the way she does if she were filtered by publicists and handlers…
"Chrissy’s biggest impact may be the way she proves that just by being the person you are, you can make a difference. Being who you are, unapologetically, you can make a difference…"
John ended on a touching note, reassuring his wife she was "more than worthy" of being honoured.
He said: "In her Glamour profile, she talked about a time when we were at this big event and she was crying in a dressing room because she felt so overwhelmed by the illustrious company she was in. We were celebrating the TIME 100 and she felt like she didn’t belong. How could she be worthy of the likes of Oprah, Christine Lagarde, Michelle Obama?
"Well, I’m here to say that you belong here. I think it has become very clear to Glamour magazine and to many millions of people around the world that you are more than worthy of this honour tonight.
"I am amazed by the woman that you’ve become. And I’m truly glad that the rest of the world has finally found out about it, too.
"Ladies and gentleman the incredible Chrissy Teigen, everybody."
As she stepped out on stage at Spring Studios in New York City, Chrissy admitted she was blown away by the ‘Ordinary People’ singer’s emotional speech.
She quipped: "John didn’t even cry when I was giving birth."
Others honoured at the Glamour Women of the Year awards included Viola Davis, Janelle Monáe, Senator Kamala Harris, park ranger Betty Reid Soskin, Saudi Arabian women’s rights activist Manal al-Sharif, the ‘March for Our Lives’ female leaders and the gymnasts who survived the abuse of Team USA doctor Larry Nassar.
John Legend pays tribute to Chrissy Teigen
