Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel: A timeline of their romance amid cheating rumors

Justin Timberlake will have love for his wife Jessica Biel until the end of time.

But, the singer's "strong lapse in judgement" recently sparked cheating rumors after tabloid pictures surfaced of him holding hands with co-star Alisha Wainwright.

"I apologize to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focusing on being the best husband and father I can be. This was not that," he said Dec. 4, after revealing that he "drank way too much" that night.

Below is a timeline of the stars' relationship:

More: Justin Timberlake apologizes to Jessica Biel for 'behavior'; denies cheating rumors

Happier times. Jessica Biel, left, and Justin Timberlake arrive at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 17, 2018.
Happier times. Jessica Biel, left, and Justin Timberlake arrive at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 17, 2018.

2007

Timberlake and Biel first crossed paths at a birthday party.

"We really technically met and had a conversation when I was invited to a birthday party that Justin was throwing for a friend of his," Biel revealed during a November interview with GQ.

Timberlake described their first, brief encounter as "very un-Hollywood-esque."

"We met and got talking. Afterwards I asked my friend if I could call her and ask her out. My friend called Jessica and Jessica said yes, and so I called her," he said at a press conference with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, according to Us Weekly.

And the Casanova proved that chivalry isn't dead: "I did it the old fashioned way – by telephone. … The way I see it, if you're asking a girl out on a date, it's only right to do it in a way that she can hear your voice. I had to be pretty persistent in order to get her to say yes."

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel kiss at the Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz game on April 21, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel kiss at the Los Angeles Lakers vs Utah Jazz game on April 21, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.

The pair went public with their relationship that summer after paparazzi pictures showed them sharing a smooch during the European leg of his world tour.

2011

Timberlake and Biel called it quits in March 2011, their reps confirmed to People.

Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala, Monday, May 3, 2010 in New York.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala, Monday, May 3, 2010 in New York.

But that wasn't the end of their love story, because the duo reunited months later and got engaged in December of that year. Timberlake popped the question in the picturesque mountains of Montana.

“When I did propose, I was saying to her, I was like, 'Oh, look at the shadows on the mountains,' and I had the ring on my pinkie," he told Amazon Music in 2018. "She was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s beautiful,’ and I was like, 'Do you see it?'"

The proposal inspired the song "Montana" on his 2018 album, "Man of the Woods."

In 2012, Biel told the Associated Press that marriage is "actually not anything I ever really thought was going to happen to me. Or that I really wanted."

She continued: "And when it happened, it just seemed … It just was right. It’s wonderful."

2012

Timberlake put on his finest suit & tie to marry Biel on Oct. 19, 2012.

The lovebirds tied the knot during a romantic ceremony in Italy, which Biel described to People as "a total fantasy experience."

The actress channeled a Disney princess in an unorthodox pink wedding dress by Giambattista Valli Haute Couture. Timberlake serenaded his bride on the guitar as she walked down the aisle.

"It was an original piece I wrote specifically for the evening and for her," he told People.

2015

Then comes the baby in the baby carriage.

The couple welcomed their son, Silas Randall Timberlake, in April 2015.

Timberlake's mom, Lynn Harless, revealed on Facebook at the time that they named their firstborn after her father, Timberlake's grandfather.

More: Timberlake, Biel welcome son Silas

Timberlake and Biel announced their pregnancy on the musician's birthday just months before Silas was born. He captioned a picture of himself kissing Biel's baby bump: "Thank you EVERYONE for the Bday wishes! This year, I'm getting the GREATEST GIFT EVER. CAN'T WAIT."

2018

In January 2018, Biel shed light on the kind of father Timberlake is to their son on Instagram in honor of the singer's birthday.

"You're a super hot dad. A ninja dad. A kiddie teeth brushing, Jedi sleep mind tricking, intimidating dad voice disciplining SUPER HOT DAD," she wrote. "I love you, you hot dad."

Timberlake reflected on fatherhood himself a couple months later on Father's Day: "Being a father is such a trip... an amazing discovery every day. My son: it is my honor to be your Daddy. You make me feel a love that I didn't know existed. I will ALWAYS be there... to pick you up when you fall, to lift you up when you are ready to soar, and to remind you that your humility will be your guide through this thing called life."

Timberlake was Biel's permanent arm candy during the 2018 awards season for her critically acclaimed role as Cora Tannetti in USA's "The Sinner."

The duo fashionably graced the red carpet at the Golden Globes in January and the Primetime Emmy Awards in September, which doubled as a date night for the parents.

"We got a babysitter. #Emmys," he wrote on Instagram.

Golden Globes red carpet: Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and the most adorable celebrity couples

"I’m so proud of my wife. You could say she killed it. I wouldn’t use such an obvious pun, but you could," he tweeted in 2017, ahead of the awards shows.

2019

Biel made one shocking revelation that we hope didn't tear up Timberlake's heart. She's his No. 1 fan now, but that hasn't always been the case.

In an interview from 1999, which E! News unearthed for the anniversary of "7th Heaven" in August, Biel revealed N'SYNC wasn't her type of pop.

"To be honest, I don't really listen," she said. "I know of them, of course, and I've heard of them, and I've heard the music. I don't think I own any of their CDs. I'm not a huge fan, but, I mean, cool I guess.

But she made up for it on Halloween by dressing up as vintage JT in his N'SYNC days. Timberlake coordinated as a microphone.

More: Jessica Biel wasn't 'a huge fan' of NSYNC. Let's not tell her husband, Justin Timberlake

"This is what happens when you admit on TV that you don’t know any NSYNC songs and you’re married to @justintimberlake. Well played, husband, well played," she quipped.

The scandal

In late November, the paparazzi photos of Timberlake and Wainwright, the star of "Raising Dion" and his co-star on forthcoming drama "Palmer," surfaced on British tabloid The Sun.

The apology

On Dec. 4, the actor and musician took to social media to apologize to his partner, Jessica Biel, and to their son, for the musician's "strong lapse in judgment."

Timberlake wrote, "I drank way too much that night and regret my behavior," he said, apparently referencing the evening that the photos were snapped in New Orleans, "but let me be clear - nothing happened between me and my costar."

Contributing: Erin Jensen, Carly Mallenbaum

More: Justin Timberlake apologizes to Jessica Biel for 'behavior'; denies cheating rumors

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel: A timeline of their romance