Justin Timberlake, 38, is finally speaking out about holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright, 30, during an outing on Nov. 21 and he’s admitting it was all “a strong lapse in judgement”. The singer, who has been married to wife Jessica Biel, 37, since 2012, shared a message he wrote on his Instagram page on Dec. 4 and explained exactly what happened on the outing. “I stay away from gossip as much as I can, but for my family I feel it is important to address recent rumors that are hurting the people I love,” his message began. “A few weeks ago I displayed a strong lapse of judgement – but let me be clear – nothing happened between me and my costar. I drank way too much that night and regret my behavior. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son.”
Justin, who shares son Silas, 4, with Jessica, went on to issue an official apology in the heartfelt post. “I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be,” he wrote. “This was not that. I am incredibly proud to be working on Palmer. Looking forward to continuing to make this movie and excited for people to see it.”
Before Justin posted his message, Alisha’s father, Jeff Wainwright, who is a music producer, said he hadn’t talked to his daughter since the suspicious photos surfaced but knows she’s “a good kid”, in a Nov. 27 interview with Daily Mail. “It’s all just speculation,” he told the outlet.
Justin and Alisha were spotted at a bar in New Orleans, LA during a break from filming their upcoming movie Palmer and pics taken during the outing showed them clasping hands as Justin wasn’t wearing his wedding ring, which could have been because of the role he was shooting earlier in the day. Another pic also showed the brunette beauty with her hand resting on the former NSYNC member’s knee.
We reached out to Alisha’s rep about Justin’s message and she had no comment. We’ll be updating this story as more info becomes available.