Robbie Williams and his “sex-less” marriage to wife Ayda Field hit the news headlines last year, with Ulrika Johnson also wading in to offer her take.
Writing in her column in The Sun, Ulrika warned that her marriage ended “mainly but not exclusively” because of “the lack of sex” five years ago.
And she admitted to being “dubious” about Robbie and Ayda – who married in 2010 – admitting they couldn’t be happier.
Robbie Williams and wife Ayda on ‘sex-less marriage’
The couple addressed concerns about their marriage after Ayda admitted on her Postcards from the Edge podcast that sex between her and Robbie was now “completely dead”.
However, she said that her words backfired. Weeks later, they were taken out of context, and she was bombarded with “concerned texts from friends asking if I was okay about my sex-less marriage”.
This led to Ayda and Robbie – celebrated on Boybands at the BBC this weekend (November 16) – setting the record straight. He maintained that he “didn’t give a [bleep]” about Ayda’s comments and admitted there was truth in them. “Really, everyone knows there is no sex after marriage. That’s just the way it is,” he answered candidly, when asked about the couple’s sex life.
However, Ulrika hit back with a warning for the couple, maintaining that sex is “crucial” to a relationship.
‘The idea to give it up is unfathomable to me’
Writing in her column, she said: “It’s something we need, crave, want or fantasise about. It shouldn’t have to follow that just because we settle down, we stop acting on our impulses, desires and needs. Lest we forget, sex is often the thing that drew us together, so the idea that we are prepared to give up on it just because domesticity, kids and routine get in the way has always been unfathomable to me.”
She then added: “At risk of sounding like a sex-obsessive, there aren’t many days, if any, when I don’t think about sex. Is that weird? I don’t think so, but maybe it is for a woman in the autumn of life, when most libidos start to retire, slow or take a back seat. Not me! I’m more preoccupied with sex now than I was in my twenties.”
Robbie hits the jackpot?
However, on reflection, Ulrika did admit that perhaps Robbie and Ayda have “hit the jackpot”. She conceded that, while sex is a “really important aspect of a relationship, it can only work if you’re both on the same page — and clearly these two are”.
She went on to suggest Take That favourite Robbie and Ayda have created something “a lot deeper and, who knows, much more meaningful”.
Boybands at the BBC is on BBC Two Saturday (November 16) from 8.15pm.
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