When the war ended he had to leave behind this life of silver cutlery and servants, and return to a shady post war cockney world. As a teenager in the 50s, there were no rock or pop stars to emulate. His heroes were villains:
"Most people can recall what they were doing on the day President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember when Jack Spot fought Albert Dimes to a standstill in a greengrocer¹s in Frith Street. Claret all over the shop!"
Spells of nightclub bouncing and in the boxing ring led to a bit of business¹ that so impressed hairdresser Vidal Sassoon that he gave him a job. Soon the backdrop for operations¹ were the salons and studios of Mayfair, and young Nigel became Justin de Villeneuve.
In the mid-sixties he met a skinny teenager called Leslie Hornby. He thought she should cut her hair and call herself Twiggy. For nearly 10 years as her boyfriend and manager he orchestrated Twiggy¹s career as the most famous face in the world.
Sales of Twiggy dresses, make-up and dolls allowed Justin to live the life of a modern day dandy, employ an array of personal tailors, shoemakers, butlers, chauffeur, mechanic, and indulge in his passion for cars:
Ever the opportunist, having witnessed many of the world¹s top fashion photographers at work, Justin decided to take on the role himself.
Justin produced many of the most memorable photographs of Twiggy, including covers for Vogue and a seminal series for Biba. He went on to photograph Twiggy with David Bowie for the cover of 'Pin Ups' in 1973 and created the iconic Marsha Hunt Œsilhouette¹ poster.
In 1986, Justin¹s autobiography An Affectionate Punch¹ was published in London by Sidgwick & Jackson. Justin went on to win a Sony broadcasting award for his play ' A Fake's Progress', narrated by Roger Daltry on BBC Radio 4.
In 1994 the stage version of A Fake¹s Progress¹ starring Paul King played at the Hackney Empire and then the Cochrane Theatre in London¹s West End.