Toxic: A look at Cathy Dennis as Britney Spears' hit song was 'aimed' at Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick

Britney Spears’ 2003 hit ‘Toxic’ is a pop classic and still the perfect song that will get everyone up on the dance floor even after 20 years. The catchy tune features lyrics like ‘the taste of your lips, I’m on a ride’ and 'I'm addicted to you, don’t you know that you're toxic’.

Singing along to this pop ballad you may have imagined a certain type of person who the song is about. 

And you may be surprised to know that this song is rumoured to be about Channel 4’s Supervet, Noel Fitzpatrick. The lyrics hit differently now. 

Before you start thinking Britney had a secret fling with the Supervet let me explain. The song was actually co-written by singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis and she dated the Irishman before penning the hit. 

Cathy and Noel reportedly dated in the early 00s but broke up in 2003 the same year the song was composed. The couple allegedly started dating after Cathy had taken her paralysed Labrador, Charlie to see the vet years before he became a TV star.  

According to gossip website PopB**** “The man who inspired the Britney Spears track Toxic was someone that the song’s co-writer Cathy Dennis had been dating in the early 2000s, who broke up with her in 2003: Noel Fitzpatrick.”

Noel discussed the breakup in his book ‘Listening to Animals: Becoming the Supervet,’ he wrote “Cathy and I remain good friends and I’m sad that I couldn’t give her, or anyone else, what is needed in a healthy relationship.”

In the 90s Cathy was a singer and a pop star in her own right with songs such as ‘All Night Long’ and ‘When Dreams Turn to Dust. 'The British songwriter from Norfolk went on to write huge hits including Katy Perry’s ‘I kissed a Girl’ and Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of my Head.’ She also wrote songs for Dannii Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bexter, S Club 7, Jonas Brothers and Kelly Clarkson. Her list of song writing credentials is endless.

In 2004 Cathy won a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for Kylie’s hit ‘Come Into My World’. She co-wrote and produced the song with Rob Davis. She also won six Ivor Novella Awards. She has had eight UK number one singles and has an estimated net worth of $40 million. 

In an interview with The Gentlewoman in 2010 Cathy revealed why she decided to stop singing “I was scared of misrepresenting myself, so I just thought I would rather not do it at all.”

Cathy still writes songs and even appeared on season four of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, she currently lives in Surrey with her husband Robert and their four black Labradors.