Robbie Williams told Nicole Appleton ‘this baby is saving my life’ while she was pregnant with their child.
The Take That singer, 50, and the All Saints star, 49, were secretly preparing to become parents for the first time in the late 90s.
But Nicole later had an abortion after pressure from All Saints’ record company, scenes which are dramatised in Robbie’s biopic Better Man.
Robbie and Nicole are on good terms today and she attended the premiere of the film in Leicester Square.
According to The Sun, the singer performed his song She’s The One at the afterparty and dedicated it to Nicole.
Both Robbie and Nicole reportedly approved of the script and he praised her at the afterparty, where his wife Ayda Field was also in attendance.
Robbie Williams told Nicole Appleton ‘this baby is saving my life’ while she was pregnant with their child
The Take That singer, 50, and the All Saints star, 49, were secretly preparing to become parents for the first time in the late 90s (pictured in 1998)
Robbie is depicted as a CGI monkey in the film due to him feeling like a performing monke in the years when he was rising to fame.
Nicole, who is played in the film by actress Raechelle Banno, attended the premiere with her sister and fellow All Saints star Natalie.
In the film, Robbie’s need for fame is seen interfering with his relationship with Nicole as he leaves her at an All Saints party to go on a night out with Liam Gallagher, who would later marry and divorce Nicole.
They are also seen decorating a nursey together in the film but Nicole is then later seen visiting an abortion clinic.
Holly Willoughby, who attended the premiere, shared a video of Robbie performing at the post-premiere party held at Lio London, during which he gave a shout out to Nicole.
‘Nicole Appleton is f**king brave for allowing us to tell that bit of the story,’ he said as he led the intimate crowd in round of applause before launching into his hit song She’s The One.
Speaking to Hello! before the premiere, Robbie explained how he had invited Nicole 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…’
The singer added: ‘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.
Robbie and Nicole are on good terms today and she attended the premiere of the film in Leicester Square
Robbie attended the premiere of his biopic with his wife Ayda Field
‘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.’
Robbie added that he called her as soon as she left the screening and both of them shed tears before gushing that he was looking forward to ‘giving her a hug’ at Wednesday’s premiere.
Read More
Robbie Willliams dubs ex Nicole Appleton an 'angel' as he opens up on her abortion in the 90s
Nicole revealed her side of the relationship and breakup in her 2002 autobiography Together, writing how she fell pregnant with Robbie’s baby but after pressure from All Saints’ record company she had an abortion.
Robbie backed his ex’s decision to write about the abortion in her autobiography but later admitted reliving it had ‘torn him apart’.
‘I was completely behind her… If there’s something that’s so deep-rooted within yourself that you feel it would feel better to you that you exorcised it and got it off your chest, because secrets can make you sick and secrets can make you feel terrible… then I’m completely behind her,’ he previously told the Daily Mail.
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 they met on Top Of The Pops in 1997.
Footage then shows the moment a besotted Robbie, who was in the middle of his hugely successful solo career at the time, proposed over a brief phone call.
Looking back on the nine-month relationship, during which the couple split multiple times, Robbie explained how he was in ‘no fit state’ to commit.
Nicole later had an abortion after pressure from All Saints’ record company, scenes which are dramatised in Robbie’s biopic Better Man
Holly Willoughby shared a video of Robbie performing at the post-premiere party, during which he gave a shout out to Nicole, calling her ‘f**king brave’
Robbie has been working on Better Man since 2021 – with the film set for release on December 26.
The singer is portrayed by actor Jonno Davies in the form of a CGI monkey in the film. While Jonno, takes on the role of younger Robbie, the singer is heard in the voiceover and later 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 entertainers of all time.
‘Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’), the film is uniquely told from Williams’ perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit.
‘It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.’