Prince once hid in a bush to speak to Nicole Scherzinger without being seen

Speaking on Hot Ones, Nicole told host Sean evans: "He's got his show in Vegas, and I'm bringing my girlfriends, and we're super excited to see the show and to see him perform and support him.

"We're out by this pool at this hotel. Me and my girlfriends are like, 'This is awesome! The sun is shining, we get to see Prince tonight in concert - it's gonna be magical.'

"And me and my friends are talking and then we hear a psst, psst

"And we see this bush kind of moving. We hear psst, psst!' And I'll be damned, Prince was hiding behind the bush trying to get my attention. I don't know why!"

Nicole recalled Prince looked fabulous iin "full shoulder pads" and high-heeled shoes.

She added: "It was like noon. Fully dressed, looked amazing. Just Prince-ing it up, heels and all."

The Tony Award-winning star credited Prince for her hugely successful theatre career after some advice he gave her when he went to see her perform in the 2014 revival of Cats in London's West End.

She said: "I wouldn't be here, Sean, without him.

"He actually came to see me in Cats and he was like, 'You are an analog singer - you're not a digital singer. Your voice is too big, and you need to do music that's big enough for your voice. And this is your stage, Nicole.' "

When Prince passed away, Nicole hailed the Raspberry Beret singer as the "most phenomenal human I've ever been blessed to know."

She wrote at the time: "One cannot put into words the godly talent, power, and magic he possessed - both on and off the stage.

"The world will remember him as the legendary musician, humanitarian, and activist who united people through the universal language of music. But I will remember him as my dear friend, a brother, mentor, and my inspiration ... Though you are no longer with us, your legacy remains forever."