Singer Robbie Williams has opened up in an emotional interview about his mental health, saying: “I’ve got a disease that wants to kill me.”
The star, who is currently Down Under on his The Heavy Entertainment Show tour, gave an in-depth interview to 60 Minutes Australia.
He said: “Left to my own devices, I’m inclined to sabotage everything. I’ve got a disease that wants to kill me and it’s in my head, so I have to guard against that.
“Sometimes it overwhelms me and sometimes it’s a tool I need to get on stage and do the job I do. And sometimes I live in bliss and it’s wonderful.
“But most of the time I’m human – having a human experience – trying to deal with the trials and tribulations of what goes on between my ears.”
Asked if he’d considered what made him so popular with fans, the 44-year-old replied: “Yep I have, and you stare into the abyss and the abyss stares back, and you fall into that and you can’t make sense of anything at all.
“You’ve got to understand that my life has been so extreme. And I’m from a place in northern England, working class, where this just doesn’t happen to anybody at all.
“And when you start pondering these things, is when the real trauma – the real problem – kicks in, and I prefer not to.”
The former Take That singer has been open in the past about his problems, visiting rehab and relapsing several times. In 2007 Robbie admitted he was “24 hours from death”.
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But things have seemed brighter for the singer in the last few years.
In 2010, he married actress Ayda Field and the pair have two kids, Theodora and Charlton.
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Robbie has opened up about fatherhood to the Irish Times in the past, saying: “Having kids is like an emotional atomic bomb. It’s a reason to live and a reason to go to work. And this is the best job in the world, but it is a job.”
The singer is currently away from the family, in the midst of his tour – and has clearly been having a blast.
He’s added a series of stage pictures to his Instagram in recent weeks.
Earlier this week, he added a new photo, captioning it: “Melbourne I love you lots x #robbielive.”
He also spoke to NME last week, about how fame can be tough to handle – unless you’re Ed Sheeran.
Robbie said: “Inevitably, in the UK, if you’re really successful you get a kicking at some point. There isn’t anybody I can think of who hasn’t or might not get a kicking, apart from Ed Sheeran.
Explaining himself, Robbie added: “Just because he’s genuinely the nicest guy ever. I’ve got edges and I’m annoying – he’s not annoying and he’s really nice. There’s something about Ed where I just don’t think he’s going to get that kicking.”
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