BOMBSHELL: Chris Watts mistress comes forward about affair, role in murder investigation: ‘He lied about everything’

The woman who was having an affair with Colorado dad Chris Watts when he murdered his pregnant wife and two little girls has come forward and revealed details about their brief relationship — during which Watts claimed he was separated and finalizing a divorce.

In an interview with the Denver PostNichol Kessinger identified herself as the co-worker referenced in the confessed killer’s arrest affidavit as having an ongoing affair with Chris Watts when his pregnant wife Shannan Watts and their two daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, disappeared from their Frederick, Colorado, home. All three were found dead on a property owned by Watts’s former employer, Anadarko Petroleum, in mid-August. Kessinger was working as a contractor for the company and shared a break room with Watts when their relationship began earlier in the summer.

Kessinger, 30, told the newspaper that Watts came to her office to introduce himself in June, and the two continued to speak casually. Kessinger noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Eventually he told her that was nearing the end of divorce proceedings with his wife, and told her about his daughters.

“When he spoke to me, he was very softspoken. He appeared to be a good listener,” she said.

Eventually the relationship became physical and Kessinger and Watts would see each other frequently. During a visit to North Carolina, where Shannan and Chris both have family, Chris reportedly called Kessinger to say the divorce was final. They continued to see each other and communicate regularly, though they made no plans for a future. Kessinger told the newspaper she had wanted to take things slow.

On August 13, the day Shannan Watts and her daughters went missing, Chris Watts texted Kessinger during the workday to say his family was “gone.” Chris explained that Shannan had not returned home from a playdate with the girls, but Kessinger said he did not appear emotional or overly concerned. She became concerned when she saw that the media has shown up at the family’s Frederick home.

“I was very confused why the media was at his house,” Kessinger said. And the media coverage revealed that Watts had been lying to her.

“When I read the news, I found out he was still married and his wife was 15 weeks pregnant,” she told the newspaper.

According to the Denver Post report, Kessinger and Watts appear to have spoken at length during the two days between his family’s disappearance and his arrest. Kessinger told the newspaper she asked him a number of questions about the state of the home, trying to understand what may have happened to his wife and daughters. She became concerned when he tried the change the subject. On August 14, the day after they disappeared, she asked him directly in a text message if he had any involvement, and he assured her that he would never hurt his family, according to the report.

“It got to a point that he was telling me so many lies that I eventually told him that I did not want to speak to him again until his family was found,” she said. The morning of August 15, she met with investigators and told them what she knew.

Watts was arrested later that same day. Watts pleaded guilty on November 6 to all three murders and additional charges, sparing him the death penalty. He had previously tried to claim that he killed Shannan in a rage when he saw her strangling one of their daughters via a baby monitor in their home. As CrimeOnline previously reported, Chris’s parents still believe that Shannan may have been responsible for the girl’s deaths, and his mother said in an interview with a Denver news station that she fears he was coerced into taking a plea deal.

But Kessinger told the Denver Post she’s certain of his guilt.

“He’s a liar,” she said. “He lied about everything.”

Chris Watts is due in court for sentencing on Monday, November 19.