Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Dominique Hines

Robbie Williams says fame is ‘toxic’ and celebrities are ‘deeply unhappy and desperate’

Robbie Williams has reflected on his ‘toxic’ relationship with fame

(Picture: Getty Images)

Robbie Williams has said fame is 'toxic' and claimed that any celebrity who says they are happy is being "inauthentic".

The singer, who first found fame at the age of 16 as a member of pop boyband Take That, said: "Everybody is intoxicated with the thought of what fame is.

“Even though the examples all around you are of people falling down, getting tripped up, becoming mentally ill, being deeply unhappy, resentful, agoraphobic, desperate, behaving in ways they normally wouldn’t."

He continued: "That’s the truth of celebrity, that’s what 'that' is.

"There are no opposite cases you can point to besides completely inauthentic stars from America who have managed to hide behind publicists; no examples where you can go, 'There’s a well-rounded person that’s thoroughly enjoying his lot.'

"He doesn’t exist."

Williams says he is ‘lucky’ to have wife Ayda Field (pictured) and their four children (Dave Benett)

The 48-year-old star also spoke about his battle with drugs, including "colossal, heart-stopping amounts" of cocaine before he entered rehab in 2007, but said becoming a dad has helped him stay on the straight and narrow.

The Angels singer, who said his very existence consisted of cigarettes, alcohol, weed, prescription drugs, added in the interview with The Sunday Times that he has now gained perspective due to marriage and fatherhood.

He and wife Ayda Field share four children, with whom he said he "can take delight in knowing that I’m incredibly f*****g lucky to have."

Williams (r) , with his former Take That bandmates, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen reunited at the Echo Awards in Berlin, Germany, 2011 (Getty Images)

The star also candidly admitted that he has a "constant fight" over his weight because of "an addictive nature that finds a loophole in sugar".

The singer has previously spoken out about his fears of becoming "irrelevant" in the industry and how much his struggles with fame and his own demons have been the bane of his life.

After quitting Take That in 1995, he went on to bag a string of number one hits, including Millennium, She’s the One and Rock DJ.

His most beloved track, Angels, reached number four.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.