The evening was hosted by the power couple Char Bailey and Megan Jayne Crabbe
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGES BY BRETT COVE
On Friday 25 April, 8 Northumberland Avenue was transformed into a celebration of LGBTQIA trailblazers at the annual DIVA Awards. As part of Lesbian Visibility Week (21-27 April), the DIVA Awards, headline sponsored by London Stock Exchange Group, is one of the most highly anticipated events of the week.
This year’s DIVA Awards were hosted by power couple Char Bailey and Megan Jayne Crabbe, with special performance from The Cocoa Butter Club. The room was packed full of game changing LGBTQIA women and non-binary people from our community, including celebrity figures like Dame Kelly Holmes, Adolescence star Faye Marsay and House Of The Dragon icon Abigail Thorn.
The evening was kicked off with powerful speeches from DIVA editor-in-chief Roxy Bourdillon, Marie-Helene Tyack and Emily Hampshire. The Cocoa Butter Club brought out a trio of spell-binding performances, with Welsey Dykes and Sadie Sinner getting the crowd on their feet. All the way from across the pond, Jessabelle Thunder gave a show-stopping burlesque performance that had the entire crowd going wild.
Nancy Kelley, Executive Director, DIVA Charitable Trust, said: “The DIVA Awards is a much needed opportunity to pause and truly celebrate the incredible talent and achievements of LGBTQIA+ women, non-binary people and our allies. In a world where LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary people are not always heard, and at at a time when LGBTQIA+ rights feel quite fragile, these brilliant award winners bring us joy and give us hope for a better world, where all LGBTQIA+ people live our lives to the fullest.”
DIVA Award 2025 winners
Centrica Charity or Community Project of the Year
Winner: Just Like Us
Highly Commended: TransActual
myGwork LGBTQIA Network of the Year
Winner: Pride Matters, Colt Technology Services
Highly Commended: LGBTQ+ Supporters Network, EDF (UK)
Dorchester Collection Campaigner of the Year
Winner: Whitney and Megan Bacon-Evans
Highly Commended: Esther Ghey
Kantar Inspirational Role Model of the Year
Winner: Saba Ali
Highly Commended: Winnie King, Mace Group
Head of Diversity of the Year
Winner: Alexis Curtis-Harris, Penna
Highly Commended: Rachel Collins, Colt Technology Services
Paramount Influencer of the Year
Winner: Lesbian Supper Club
Highly Commended: CurveyBlackWitch
Brand of the Year
Winner: London Women’s Clinic
Highly Commended: L&G
BNP Paribas Corporate Ally of the Year
Winner: Anne Aslett, Elton John AIDS Foundation
Highly Commended: Antonia Croke, Hogan Lovells
Jackdaw Media Media Moment of the Year
Winner: I Kissed a Girl
Highly Commended: Coronation Street
Deliveroo Diversity Champion of the Year
Winner: Maria Patsalos, Mishcon De Reya
Highly Commended: Emma Palethorpe, St. James’s Place
Highly Commended: Pippa Dale, LSEG
London Women’s Clinic Future Leader of the Year
Winner: Bruna Gil, LinkedIn
Highly Commended: Deborah Mills-Burns, Momentum Personal Solutions
Allianz Commercial Writer of the Year
Winner: Val McDermid
Highly Commended: Clare Lydon
Celebrity Ally of the Year
Winner: Vicky Myers
Highly Commended: David Tennant
LSEG Queer Comedian of the Year
Winner: Rosie Jones
Highly Commended: Suzi Ruffell
Sports Personality of the Year
Winner: Adele Roberts
Highly Commended: Alex Scott MBE
Actor of the Year
Winner: Pearl Mackie
Highly Commended: Abigail Thorn
Sedulo Lifetime Achievement
LGBTQIA Veterans
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