How Justin Timberlake's Rumored Mistress Nicole Appleton Reacted To Britney Spears' Claims

Britney Spears' surprising memoir, "The Woman In Me," made several stunning revelations about her relationship with Justin Timberlake. According to the "Toxic" singer, Timberlake cheated on her during their Y2K relationship. Spears shared that Timberlake stepped out on her with a fellow celebrity, though out of respect for the woman's current life and family, the Grammy Award winner refused to mention her name. However, internet sleuths would quickly dig up an old article that seemingly suggests singer Nicole Appleton was the mistress in question.

Appleton joined the British pop girl group All Saints in 1996 and was still a part of the quartet when Spears and Timberlake began their relationship in 1999. In 2000, photographers in London caught Timberlake and Appleton walking together and inside a car, seemingly trying to avoid the relentless cameras. The newspaper clipping claimed that the pair had snuck away to his hotel room. Appleton has not confirmed nor denied whether this link to Timberlake is what Spears was referencing. However, she did make an interesting move following the memoir's October 2023 release.

The newspaper clipping that shows Nicole Appleton and Justin Timberlake in London together gained traction in November 2019. It first surfaced after Timberlake was spotted holding hands with "Palmer" co-star Alisha Wainwright, seemingly to highlight a history of him being unfaithful.  A Britney Spears fan account, @breatheonmiley, shared the image with the caption, "Anyway, let's not forget Justin [cheated] on Britney [Spears] first with Nicole Appleton from the band All Saints." This article once again circulated when the New York Times bestselling "The Woman In Me" wrote of Timberlake's alleged philandering while dating Spears. Instead of speaking out, Appleton seemingly deactivated her social media. 

It's unclear how long Appleton kept her internet profiles down since her Instagram is back up and active as of March 2024. Though the explosive tell-all hinted at the "Cry Me a River" vocalist seeing another well-known woman during their young romance, it appears that his rumored relationship with Appleton had a more profound effect on Spears. This was reportedly made apparent by Spears' hard feelings toward Appleton.

It doesn't appear that Britney Spears holds any ill-will towards Nicole Appleton today but a once close friend claims that was not always the case. In a December 2022 chat with Mirror, Spears' former makeup artist Julianne Kaye said the idea of Nicole Appleton and Justin Timberlake possibly dating upset the superstar. "I knew they had some issues. She had her questions about who he was with because stuff would be out in the press. They were very famous. So he'd be out with some girl from All Saints, and she'd get very jealous, you know what I'm saying?" Kaye told the outlet.

It's unlikely that Appleton will ever speak out about what transpired between her, Timberlake, and Spears. Appleton has had her own high-profile relationships, one of which was with rocker Liam Gallagher. She and the Oasis lead singer began dating in 2000 and married eight years later before divorcing in 2013. No matter what truly happened, Appleton seems happier with her much quieter life, which consists of hosting her radio show and loving her pooch, Bridget, who is a fixture across her Instagram profile.