‘I’m Madeline – and this is what I have to say to Lily Allen’: Read world exclusive reveal of mum who had affair with star’s husband David Harbour, how it started and how she feels about THOSE texts being exposed

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Ever since Lily Allen’s new album was released on Friday, fans have been wondering about one thing: who is the Madeline mentioned in the songs?

The pop star’s new album, West End Girl, came out this week and details the painful end of her four-year marriage to David Harbour, the star of Stranger Things. The album largely focuses on her anger and hurt over his affair with someone she doesn’t name.

Rumors of someone’s disloyalty had circulated for a while, but the extent of the betrayal became clear through a song by Lily, a 40-year-old artist, titled ‘Madeline’.

The lyrics were painfully direct: ‘Madeline’ was the woman Harbour’s wife believed he was having an affair with.

Lily messaged her, directly asking how long the affair had been happening and whether it was just physical or involved feelings.

Millions of the star’s fans flooded social media, eager to find out who Madeline was. Lily even expressed the question bluntly in a song lyric: ‘Who the heck is Madeline?’

The song quickly reminded people of a track on Beyoncé’s 2016 album, Lemonade, which sparked global rumors about who “Becky with the good hair” was – a woman rumored to have had a relationship with Jay-Z.

Although Lily has emphasized that Madeline, like Becky, is a fake name, it’s sparked a search for the real person who inspired the song – and several others on her new album, which is her first in seven years and full of anger.

The long search is finally over. The Mail on Sunday has learned that ‘Madeline’ is actually costume designer Natalie Tippett.

A 34-year-old mother from New Orleans revealed she inspired the songs on Allen’s latest album and was also involved in the end of his marriage. She shared this information with our newspaper from her home in the historic Treme neighborhood.

But blonde Ms Tippett was reluctant to hit back, or to turn her sex life into a public debate.

‘Of course I’ve heard the song,’ she said, rolling her eyes.

Look, I have people I care about and need to look after. My daughter is two and a half, and of course, I’m aware of everything that’s happening. It’s just… my family comes first, you know?

‘It’s a little bit scary for me.’

Christina Tippett and David Harbour, who is 16 years older than her and 50 years old, reportedly met while filming the Netflix movie ‘We Have A Ghost’ in New Orleans in 2021.

Harbour was the movie’s leading man, while Ms Tippett worked in the costume department.

Their affair reportedly began shortly after shooting started.

Harbour married Lily last year in Las Vegas. Lily has two daughters from a previous marriage to Sam Cooper: Ethel, who is 13, and Marnie, who is 12.

According to reports, Harbour continued his affair with Ms. Tippett even after filming wrapped, flying her to his home in Atlanta, Georgia, while still with Allen.

Allen discovered her secret relationship through a revealing text message on her phone, and after her marriage ended, she channeled her sadness into songwriting.

In her new album, the song ‘Tennis’ details the singer discovering a suggestive text message on her partner’s phone when she returned home.

Ugh, I read his message and now I’m seriously spiraling. I just don’t understand his tennis obsession! It’s not even about… well, if it was just about that, I could handle it. But it’s not! He won’t even play with me, and now there’s a Madeline? Who is Madeline?! I’m completely losing it trying to figure this out.

In the song ‘Madeline,’ Allen actually alters her voice to sound like Ms. Tippett, firmly stating that her connection with Harbour has always been purely physical. She emphasizes that there’s no emotional bond between them.

Ms. Tippett shared her thoughts with us from the cozy living room of her old, wooden-sided house. The room was a unique mix of styles, featuring both bright neon signs and classic, beautiful furniture.

Her toddler daughter bounced around the room happily in a rainbow-coloured tutu.

She sadly confirmed that she was unaware her personal text messages were being used in Allen’s songs.

‘Yeah,’ she sighed. ‘I just don’t feel comfortable talking about it at the moment.’

After more than four years of marriage, Allen and Harbour revealed they were separating in January. Sources say they actually split in December, and Lily spent the Christmas holiday alone with her children in Kenya, a significant distance of 3,000 miles away from David.

During a conversation on her “Miss Me?” podcast with friend and fellow presenter Miquita Oliver, she revealed she was taking a break and experiencing panic attacks.

She explained that she’s been struggling to find joy or motivation in anything lately and isn’t doing well emotionally. She’s been caught in a negative cycle for months, and it’s become overwhelming. She’s finding it difficult to focus on anything other than her emotional pain, and it’s a really tough time for her.

According to a source, Allen was deeply upset and sought treatment at a specialized center costing £8,000 per week, after confiding in friends that she felt on the verge of a breakdown.

This month, she spoke with British Vogue about the difficulty of coping with the breakup without turning to ‘drugs and alcohol’.

I’ve been following this singer for years, and I was really moved by her recent interview. She shared that she’s been sober for five years now, which is incredible. She admitted she honestly couldn’t remember what it was like to be intimate with someone while sober until she met her partner, Harbour. It was heartbreaking to hear her say her earliest memories are filled with alcohol and drugs, and that she grew up witnessing her dad, Keith Allen, struggle with cocaine. It really puts her journey into perspective and makes her even more inspiring.

She told Vogue that breaking up with Harbour was incredibly painful, similar to how she’d felt in the past when she relied on drugs and alcohol to cope. This time, she had to face those difficult emotions without turning to those old habits.

When asked about the breakup by GQ magazine in April, Harbour didn’t want to share details, explaining that doing so would likely create a very public and embarrassing situation.

Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday reported that Lily suspected her partner, David, of infidelity and began investigating him.

Friends of Allen in London said the singer had suspected her husband of being interested in other women since last fall.

After a quick and intense romance, the couple – who initially connected on the exclusive dating app Raya – removed their profiles from the platform.

Lily decided to go back on the app and saw that her husband had been using a secret account for about a month.

He describes himself as being from Atlanta and visiting New York, playfully calling himself a ‘nerd’ who portrays strong characters on television. His chosen song on his profile is ‘Houses Of The Holy’ by Led Zeppelin.

According to a source, Lily was trying to discover who David was dating by checking if women on the Raya dating app also appeared among his Instagram followers.

When the couple split up, she already believed he was seeing someone else, and it turned out she was right.

The source added: ‘Lily has never even looked at anyone since she met David. She is devastated.’

After Harbour and her partner moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2020, they shared a townhouse with Lily and her kids. Harbour also enrolled her daughters in the neighborhood schools.

Harbour purchased a house in Atlanta, which is 800 miles from his previous location, to be near the set of Stranger Things while filming the show’s fifth and final season last year.

After the breakup, Lily returned to London and purchased a flat—a former public housing unit—in the neighborhood where she spent her childhood.

She’d always dreamed of living in the building, ever since she was a child. When a flat finally became available and she could afford it, she immediately bought it.

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2025-10-25 22:52