How Nicole Appleton kept pregnancy a secret for nine months with throwback pictures

Nicole Appleton shocked everyone when she announced she'd given birth to a baby girl yesterday.

The All Saints singer had been keeping her pregnancy a secret from the public, only showing off her bump for the first time AFTER she'd welcomed Skipper into the world.

Along with a string of pictures of her new bundle of joy, she announced: "After hiding my pregnancy for the last 9 months...which was SOOOOO difficult & keeping her a secret from all my friends...I can finally announce our incredible news!!

"Our little girl ‘Skipper Hudson Haines’ has arrived Stephen & Gene are besotted!!! I’m SOOO HAPPY!!"

And Nicole had some very clever ways of making sure her secret wasn't revealed.

She hasn't been pictured for the last eight months at all, and the last time she was was actually the first time she and her Facebook exec boyfriend Stephen Haines were spotted together.

In the last pictures, taken in July last year, the loved-up pair were holding hands in London.

But that wasn't Nicole's only trick, as she also posted some sneaky pictures on Instagram, pretending she was working out in the gym.

In two separate pictures, Nicole posted that she'd done morning gym sessions, but they're clearly throwbacks to stop her followers from guessing, as she's very slim in both with no bump to be seen!

This throwback picture method didn't stop with the gym snaps though, as she also did it when it came to her friends' birthdays.

On Holly Willoughby's birthday, she shared an old picture of them both on a girls' night out.

She wrote: "Happy birthday to my beautiful girl @hollywilloughby I love you to bits!! You are truly amazing!!!"

It's no wonder everyone was surprised when she gave birth!