Nicole Appleton and Robbie Williams showed off their friendship on Wednesday night when the All Saints star attended the premiere of her ex-boyfriend’s biopic.
Robbie premiered his film Better Man, in which he is played by a CGI monkey, in London’s Leicester Square and was joined by friends, family and collaborators at the red carpet extravaganza.
But it was Nicole’s attendance that really showed how much she’s changed over the years, as Robbie thanked her ex for being “f***ing brave” and “allowing” her to depict their tumultuous relationship and heartbreaking abortion in the film.
The All Saints star arrived with her sister Natalie, husband Stephen Haines and close friend Holly Willoughby to show their support for the film, which covers her tumultuous 90s romance with Robbie.
The couple met while working on Top of the Pops in 1997 and began a whirlwind nine-month romance, during which Robbie proposed. But the romance came to an end shortly after Nicole miscarried in 1999.
On Wednesday, Nicole looked gorgeous in a bright red floor-length dress as she posed confidently on the red carpet before approaching Holly for some selfies.
Nicole Appleton and Robbie Williams showed off their friendship on Wednesday when the All Saints star attended the premiere of her ex’s biopic with close friend Holly Willoughby.
The All Saints star showed her support for the film, which covers her tumultuous ’90s romance with Robbie (Nicole and Robbie pictured in 1998).
Holly shared the snaps on Instagram and gushed: “Tonight I went to see #bettermanmovie with the BEST women… love you @nicoleappleton What an amazing movie… so heartwarming.”
Holly later shared a video of Robbie performing at the premiere after-party, during which he greeted Nicole.
“Nicole Appleton is fucking brave for allowing us to tell that part of the story,” he said as he led the intimate crowd to applause before launching into his hit song She’s The One.
Talking to Hello! Before the premiere, Robbie explained how he had invited Nicole to an early screening, before admitting: “The hardest thing is watching Nicole and what we went through because she was told to get rid of our baby…”
The singer added: “I didn’t make her do that, but I was a horrible fucking boyfriend, really horrible, and I was at the height of my addiction and alcoholism.”
“And it breaks my heart every time I see her because she is a complete angel, and there is still shame for who I was then.”
Robbie added that he called her as soon as he left the screening and they both shed tears before saying he was looking forward to “giving her a hug” at Wednesday’s premiere.
Nicole revealed her side of the relationship and break-up in her 2002 autobiography Together, writing how she became pregnant with Robbie’s baby, but after pressure from record company All Saints, had an abortion.
Recalling Robbie’s reaction to her pregnancy at the time, she said: “Robbie Williams put his hand on my belly and said, ‘This baby is saving my life.'”
Robbie backed his ex’s decision to write about the abortion in his autobiography, but later admitted that reliving it had “torn him apart.”
“I was completely behind her… If there’s something that’s so deeply rooted inside you that you feel like you’d feel better if you exorcised it and got it off your chest, because secrets can make you sick and secrets can make you sick.” “I feel terrible… so I totally agree with her,” he previously told the Daily Mail.
Holly Willoughby shared a video of Robbie performing at the premiere after-party, during which he greeted Nicole and called her “f***ing brave.”
Nicole looked gorgeous in a bright red floor-length dress as she posed confidently on the red carpet before approaching Holly for some selfies.
The All Saints star arrived with her husband Stephen Haines and close friend Holly Willoughby to show their support for the film.
Nicole and Robbie met while working on Top of the Pops in 1997 and began a whirlwind nine-month romance, during which Robbie proposed.
Robbie also reflected on his relationship with Nicole in his revealing Netflix documentary last year.
Home video footage showed the pop couple in the early days of their romance after meeting on Top Of The Pops in 1997.
The footage then shows the moment a smitten Robbie, who was in the middle of his successful solo career at the time, proposed to her via a brief phone call.
Recalling the nine-month relationship, during which the couple split several times, Robbie explained that he was not in a “fit state” to get engaged.
Robbie has been working on Better Man since 2021 and the film is scheduled for release on December 26.
Robbie attended the premiere of his biopic with his wife Ayda Field
Nicole was joined by her sister and bandmate Natalie Appleton in Leicester Square on Wednesday night.
The singer is played by actor Jonno Davies as a CGI monkey in the film. As Jonno takes on the role of the younger Robbie, the singer is heard in voiceover and then plays the older version of himself.
The official synopsis reads: “Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest artists of all time.
‘Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’), the film is uniquely told from Williams’ perspective, capturing his trademark wit and indomitable spirit.
“Follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to becoming the youngest member of the hit boy band Take That, to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist, as he faces the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring”.