Taylor Swift gets gong for best song at country awards (and luckily this time Kanye West wasn't there to ruin her night)

As Taylor Swift collected a gong at a U.S. country awards ceremony last night, she was probably relieved that Kanye West wasn’t in the audience to sabotage her acceptance speech.

The 19-year-old singer was handed a song of the year medal for her track Love Story at the BMI Country Awards.

Wearing a plunging white dress, she told the audience in Nashville, Tennessee: ‘I just want to say to every songwriter and every loved one of a songwriter, thank you, because you are the reason I wanted to try Nashville. You are all my heroes.’

As she made her speech, however, the events of the MTV Video Music Awards in New York couldn’t have been too far from her mind.

At the September bash, hosted by Russell Brand, rapper Kanye stormed the stage as the teenager star collected Best Female Video for You Belong To Me.

Taylor was left humiliated as West snatched the microphone off her during her acceptance speech and told the audience that the award should have gone to his friend Beyonce, for Single Ladies.

But last night, country starlet Taylor had the stage to herself and proceedings went without a hitch.

It could prove an interesting week for the singer as tonight she contends for entertainer of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.

Nicole Kidman and her country singer husband Keith Urban also leant their support to the event last night.

The actress, 42, looked stunning in a red shoulderless dress, tied with a black ribbon belt.

American song-writer, singer and actor Kris Kristofferson, 73, was honoured as an icon at the bash.

Bobby Pinson won songwriter of the year and Sony/ATV Music was named publisher of the year.

Flashback: Kanye West interrupting Taylor's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York in September