The evening that proves all is forgiven: Nicole Appleton helps her ex Robbie Williams on the premiere of his new biopic as he calls her ‘f**king courageous’ for permitting him to inform the story of her heartbreaking abortion within the movie

Nicole Appleton and Robbie Williams proved their friendship for one another on Wednesday night as the All Saints star attended her ex boyfriend’s biopic premiere.

Robbie premiered his film Better Man in London’s Leicester Square and was joined by friends, family and collaborators at the red carpet spectacle.

But it was Nicole’s attendance that really proved how much has changed with the passing of years, as Robbie thanked his ex for being ‘f**king brave’ and ‘allowing’ him to depict their tumultuous relationship and her heartbreaking abortion in the film. 

The All Saints star arrived with her sister Natalie, husband Stephen Haines and close friend Holly Willoughby to show her support for the film, which covers her tumultuous nineties romance with Robbie.

The pair met whilst working on Top of the Pops back in 1997 and began a whirlwind nine month romance, during which Robbie proposed. But the romance came to an end shortly after Nicole had an abortion in 1999.

On Wednesday Nicole looked gorgeous in a red floor-length glittery gown as she confidently posed on the red carpet before cosying up to Holly for some selfies.

Holly shared the snaps on Instagram, gushing: ‘Tonight I went to see #bettermanmovie with the BEST of women… love you @nicoleappleton ❤️ What an incredible film… so moving.’

Holly later shared a video of Robbie performing at the post-premiere party, 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.

‘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.

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.

Recalling Robbie’s reaction to her pregnancy at the time, she said: ‘Robbie Williams put his hand on my belly and told me, “This baby is saving my life.”‘

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.

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.’