Kylie tops the show

Kylie lead the way in the fashion stakes at the Brits. Her outfit for her duet with Justin Timberlake was hot off the catwalk from Julien Macdonald's show. But Kylie's fashion sense wasn't the only thing that brought gasps from the crowd - she and her on-off lover model James Gooding had a colossal bust-up in front of shocked Brit Awards party-goers in the early hours of this morning.

Gooding accused Minogue of flirting with Justin Timberlake live on stage at the Brits during a duet in which the former NSync singer - Britney Spears' ex-lover - touched Minogue's backside.

Minogue and Timberlake had followed their duet with dinner at the Montpelliano restaurant in Knightsbridge before going to the after-show party thrown by her label, EMI, at the Sanderson hotel.

Gooding, Britain's highest-paid male model, turned up hoping for a reconciliation with the Australian singer. Minogue's management had told doormen not to let him into the VIP area, but he sneaked in through a side entrance and found her at a table with sister Dannii as well as Timberlake and Janet Jackson.

He accused her of making a mockery out of him in front of millions of Brits viewers. He also confronted her over her reported dates recently with Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay.

Earlier in the evening, after watching the Brits from the audience at Earls Court, Gooding said with apparent sarcasm: "Yeah, I really enjoyed it tonight. My favourite part of the whole evening was Justin and Kylie's duet." Asked how he felt when Timberlake fondled Minogue's behind, he said: "That really made the performance for me - it was the best bit." Afterwards, Timberlake commented on his performance with Minogue: "On a scale of one to 10, Kylie's bum is 58."

When Minogue and Dannii went to leave the Sanderson party, Gooding tried to block their path, but Minogue's security guards held him back. After a brief scuffle with the bodyguards Gooding was allowed to go. Meanwhile Minogue had been escorted to her chauffeur-driven Mercedes - to go to an all-night party thrown by Jay Kay at his Home Counties mansion, as it later emerged.

Minogue's bust-up with Gooding was the highlight of an otherwise rather dull Brit Awards night.

Britain's hottest rap star, Ms Dynamite, sparked surprise when - after rattling off an anti-war duet with a pre-recorded George Michael - she appeared to let slip that she had married-her partner in a secret ceremony.

The 21-year-old R'n'B sensation, five months pregnant by minder Dwayne Seaforth, who joined her at the awards, thanked her "husband" as she accepted the Best British Urban Act award.

However, she confessed during record label Universal's after-show party that she had not in fact got married. Dynamite - whose real name is Niomi McLean-Daley - said: "Nah. It's rubbish. It's just a phrase." Her publicist explained: "She's not married to Dwayne - it's just a turn of phrase which means he's her man."

Meanwhile, it emerged that Robbie Williams has recruited his hero Tom Jones to crack the lucrative American market, after he presented the veteran singer with a lifetime achievement Brit award.

Williams, 29, said in his video speech that Jones's duet with him at the Brits in 1998 had kick-started his career - and the former Take That star said his LA neighbour Jones would be welcome to sing with him again any time.

Jones has already agreed to duet with Williams again soon, to help him on a make-or-break album for the US market. Williams' record company EMI is desperate to make the money back on its £80 million record deal with him.

The new album will be a collection of rock songs performed with US artists, tipped to include friends such as Marilyn Manson, Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Kelly Osbourne. Williams is also keen to work with Coldplay's Chris Martin and the pair have already met up.

Jones said: "Robbie lives up the street from me in LA. We are going to sing together again soon because he has asked me to perform a duet with him on his next album."