Robbie Williams shared a heartfelt apology to Nicole Appleton on Wednesday night as the All Saints star attended the premiere of her ex-boyfriend's biopic.
The Angels hitmaker debuted his film Better Man—where he is portrayed by a CGI monkey—in Leicester Square, surrounded by friends, family, and collaborators.
Taking a moment to pay tribute to his former girlfriend, Williams publicly thanked her for being "f**king brave" and for allowing him to depict their tumultuous past, including her deeply personal decision to have an abortion, in the film.
The All Saints star showed her support at the premiere earlier in the evening, arriving with her sister Natalie, husband Stephen Haines, and close friend Holly Willoughby.
The film revisits their whirlwind '90s romance after they met on Top of the Pops in 1997 and quickly embarked on a nine-month relationship, during which Williams proposed. Their romance ended in 1999 following Appleton’s decision to have an abortion.
Taking to Instagram, Willoughby first shared a selfie of them together on the red carpet: “Tonight I went to see #bettermanmovie with the BEST of women… love you @nicoleappleton What an incredible film… so moving.”
The TV presenter later shared a video of Williams performing at the premiere’s after-party, during which he gave a shout out to Appleton.
“Nicole Appleton is f**king brave for allowing us to tell that bit of the story,” he said before launching into hit song She's The One.
Speaking to Hello! before the premiere, Williams explained how he had invited his former girlfriend to an early screening, before admitting: “The most difficult bit is watching Nicole and what we went through because she was instructed to get rid of our baby...
“I didn't make her do that - but I was a f****** awful boyfriend, like, really awful, and I was in the height of my addiction and alcoholism.
“And it breaks my heart every time I watch it because she's a complete angel, and there's still shame attached to who I was then.”
The Angels singer shared that he called Appleton immediately after she left the screening, and the two became emotional before he expressed his excitement about "giving her a hug" at the premiere.
The Black Coffee singer detailed her perspective on their relationship and breakup in her 2002 autobiography, Together. She revealed that she became pregnant with his child but ultimately decided to have an abortion due to pressure from All Saints' record company.
Reflecting on William’s reaction to her pregnancy at the time, she wrote: “Robbie Williams put his hand on my belly and told me, ‘This baby is saving my life.’”
While he backed his ex's decision to write about the abortion in her autobiography, he later admitted reliving it had “torn him apart”
Williams also opened up about their relationship in his Netflix documentary last year, which included home video clips captured the early days of their romance.
One memorable clip shows a smitten Williams, at the height of his solo career, proposing to Appleton over a short phone call.
Reflecting on their nine-month relationship, during which they broke up and reunited several times, Williams admitted he was "in no fit state" to commit fully at the time.
Better Man hits cinemas on December 26
