Robbie Williams has revealed his eldest daughter has been diagnosed with dyslexia.
The 48-year-old, who also has the condition, opened up about how Teddy, 10, was handling the news.
“I have to explain to her what dyslexia is, what it means for people, how to deal with it,” Robbie wrote in Galore magazine. “And that if you suffer from it, you’re not automatically stupid.”
Robbie Williams’ dyslexia diagnosis
However, Robbie Williams went on to explain that not everyone had been so understanding of Teddy’s diagnosis.
“The other thing, one of her friends decided overnight that she didn’t want anything to do with her any more,” he said. “Teddy was devastated, completely desperate.
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“I tried to make it clear to her that sometimes you just have to let other people go, that you should let them go – but without sacrificing your own self-esteem in the process.
“This girl did not serve her love and friendship. Again, as I said, I speak from experience.”
The Angels singer has previously been diagnosed with dyslexia himself. The learning difficulty can result in trouble spelling and reading words.
What is dyslexia?
The NHS believes around 1/10 people in the UK have some form of dyslexia. It is thought to run in families. While there have previously been misconceptions about the condition, there has been a greater level of awareness about dyslexia in more recent years.
“When I was growing up in Stoke-on-Trent in the Eighties, however, dyslexia was still a completely unknown diagnosis,” Robbie said.
Robbie’s own diagnosis is dyscalculia, meaning he struggles with numbers and dates.
This girl did not serve her love and friendship. Again, as I said, I speak from experience.
“I’m numerically dyslexic. I can’t add or subtract,” he said on the Three Little Words podcast, before joking he’s always getting into trouble for forgetting anniversaries and birthdays for his wife and children.
Jokingly comparing his life to that of the film Memento, Robbie has since said he was going to get tattoos of significant dates in his life to stop remembering them.
How many children does Robbie Williams have?
Robbie has four children: as well as Teddy, he shares Charlton, Colette and Beau with wife of 12 years, Ayda Field.
However, Kylie Minogue could have been the lucky lady on Robbie’s arm, with the former Take That star recently revealing he had a crush on the Australian singer.
The pair recorded Kids together in 2000, but nothing further seemed to develop between them,
When quizzed on BBC Sounds programme, My Life Thru A Lens, Robbie joked he “messed” his “crush of all crushes” up.
“I messed that up by being 13 whenever I was around her,” he laughed. “It was like the girl from the year above me. ‘I don’t know how to speak to you!’
“But she’s my crush, my crush of all crushes.”
Kylie, however, has now been with GQ creative director, Paul Simmons, since 2018.
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