Courtney Reed, a star on Broadway, is finally going to get the happily ever after she’s always wanted, and it’s all because of a chain of circumstances that reconnected her with an old sweetheart in her hometown.
The 38-year-old Aladdin actress uploaded a heartfelt video to her Instagram account in which she recapped her 2022 over Jaymes Young’s song “Happiest Year.” The film showed events that characterized her year, including adorable conversations with her partner of two years, photographer Nick Pflederer.
A touching moment depicting Pflederer making a proposal to Reed at the top of the Seattle Space Needle served as the last segment of the film. As he proposes to his girlfriend in Moulin Rouge!, the actor can be seen sobbing uncontrollably as he goes down on one knee.
There are also some clips showing Reed partying with her new fiance and giddily leaping up and down with some of her co-stars from Moulin Rouge! production. The actress said in the video’s title, “2023…you’ve got some huge shoes to fill,” referring to the next year.
However, there is more to the tale of the pair than meets the eye. Back in 2006, when the video first begins, there is a montage of films that shows the two of them dating for a short period of time when they were still in college.
He immediately caught Pflederer’s attention despite the fact that they had attended different colleges at the time (Reed had attended the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, while Pflederer had attended Columbia College). Pflederer had attended Columbia College.
“We worked out at the same facility,” Reed explains. “One day I saw him walk in, and I remarked to myself, “He looks just like Tom Welling… My future boyfriend will be him. At the time, I was really hooked on the show Smallville.”
They went out together for a total of four months during their time in college before breaking up for good. It wasn’t until 14 years later, in the midst of the epidemic, that they were brought back together.
“When COVID struck, I went back home to Chicago, and we ended up meeting for a hang simply as friends,” she says in an interview with PEOPLE. “When COVID hit, I moved back home to Chicago.” “We had no clue that our casual get-together would turn out to be this significant!”
In August 2020, they decided to give their relationship another shot, and the chemistry between them was as strong as ever. Even more recently, Pflederer has joined Reed in her life on the road, as she is now starring as Satine in the national tour of Moulin Rouge!
Reed’s relationship with Pflederer is well documented on her Instagram account, where she often shares images of the two of them on their travels. She uploaded a video to the social media site in August, writing, “1 more sleep before my terrible romance is back to me,” which showed some of the hilarious antics that the two of them had been up to.
She also commemorated Pflederer’s birthday a few months earlier by uploading a picture and video carousel on her Instagram account, along with some heartfelt remarks that were directed at him.
“You are my best friend. my boyfriend and my best friend forever, “she had written. “There are a lot of reasons why today is the greatest day, and it’s not only because you were born today… It’s the greatest since it represents the day when you are no longer a whole year YOUNGER than I am!”
She said, “I adore you. I can’t wait till today and every day after that to honor and celebrate you.”
