Lily Allen is expected to make a triumphant return to the Brit Awards this weekend, with her new album, West End Girl.
The singer and Only Fans foot model, 40, has been nominated three times this year – once each in the British Album, Artist and Pop Act categories.
The album seems to serve as brutal revenge against Lily’s ex-husband, Stranger Things actor David Harbour, following their split in February last year.
With such scathing tracks as Madeline, Tennis and Fruityloop, Lily has addressed allegations of his cheating, unflinchingly detailing the collapse of their marriage.
And, if her three Brit Award nominations are anything to go by, she’s set to have the last laugh at tonight’s show.
However, an industry insider is predicting fireworks at the Brit Awards as a showdown with Nicole Appleton’s friends beckons over her 2009 fling with Nicole’s then-husband, Liam Gallagher.
An insider told The Sun: ‘The hypocrisy of Lily is absolutely staggering to anyone who has been in this industry long enough to remember what she did to Nicole.
‘She is marching around like the patron saint of betrayed wives, soaking up all the sympathy and making a fortune off this revenge album.’
Referencing her 2018 memoir, My Thoughts Exactly, the tabloid’s insider called Lily out for ‘bragging’ about her affair with Liam.
At the time, Liam was married to All Saints singer Nicole Appleton; they hooked up, according to Lily, on a flight to the Fuji Rocks festival in Japan.
The source continued: ‘Nicole’s friends, who include some of the most influential executives and artists at the Brits tonight, have not forgotten.
‘To them, Lily is nothing but a hypocritical b*** who is perfectly happy to profit from infidelity — just so long as she isn’t the one being cheated on.’
The insider added that the singer would be ‘in for a very rude awakening’ if she was expecting a standing ovation from the VIP tables because ‘the freeze-out is going to be brutal’.
Following the release of Lily’s book, Nicole had issued a warning via social media, telling her: ‘One day our paths will cross @lilyallen!’
Today will not be that day though, with Nicole and Liam both giving this year’s Brit Awards ceremony a miss.
Liam and Nicole ultimately divorced in 2014, after he admitted to an affair and having a child with American journalist Liza Ghorbani.
The pair shared a son together in Gene Gallagher, 24.
After divorcing Liam, Nicole went on to meet Meta executive Stephen Haines, who she married in 2020, and shares four-year-old daughter Skipper with.
She had previously had a high-profile relationship with Robbie Williams, including a doomed engagement and ‘traumatic’ abortion.
As for Lily, she confirmed this month that she has a new man in her life.
Last November, she was spotted at a low-key dinner with journalist Jonah Freud, 28.
Attending a glitzy party in Soho this month, Lily was quizzed by Grazia over who she’d been texting recently.
‘My boyfriend,’ she admitted, before pitching into a fit of giggles.
Lily, who also shares two children with first ex-husband Sam Cooper, recently reflected upon the collapse of her marriage.
She told The Observer in December: ‘[I’ve learned there are no] baddies and goodies in a marriage but, having done things that were not very nice in my first marriage, I have a better idea now of the pain I may have inflicted.
‘I’ve learned how horrible it is to be on the receiving end of that.’
Still, she’s not ruling out the possibility of marrying again, adding: ‘I’d like to say I’d never do it again, but I do like it. Everything but the institution of it, you know? I like being chosen. I like jewellery. I like getting dressed up. I like celebrating. I don’t like talking about money. I like my independence. But I don’t like divorce.’
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