Robbie Williams has revealed that he recently experienced his first bout of depression in a decade, as he opened up about his struggles with mental health and body dysmorphia.
The pop star, 51, is currently preparing to embark on a new tour in support of his 2024 biographical film Better Man. It is his first tour since 2023 and will include shows at stadiums in Edinburgh, Newcastle, London and Manchester.
Better Man, directed by Michael Gracey, delved into the former Take That star’s fraught relationship with fame, which led to substance abuse and, in one particularly dark moment, a suicide attempt.
“The year started with some ill mental health, which I haven’t had for a very, very long time,” he told The Mirror in a new interview. “I was sad, I was anxious, I was depressed.”
Williams confirmed that he no longer feels he is in that headspace, but explained that it was difficult to trace it back to any one issue: “It’s just a pervasive feeling.”
He said the return of depression had been especially hard to deal with as he thought he had addressed it: “It’s been about 10 years... I thought I was at the other end of the arc,” he said.
“I thought this was the end of my story, and that I would just go walking into this marvellous wonderland. So for it to return was just confusing.”
Williams then began to wonder if his diet was a contributing factor. The “Angels” singer has been candid about his use of a drug that is “something like Ozempic” to help him lose weight: “I’d stopped eating and I wasn’t getting nutrients,” he said.
“With body dysmorphia, when people say they’re worried about how you’re looking, you’re like: ‘I’ve achieved it.’ When people say: ‘we’re worried you’re too thin’ that goes into my head as ‘jackpot. I’ve reached the promised land.’”
Williams said that his depression gradually lifted after switching his diet but he still needs to be mindful of certain triggers, such as his feelings of guilt about whether he’s doing “enough”.
“The most important thing is for yourself to be okay….. and not causing chaos in mine or anybody else’s life, like I used to back in the Nineties and early Noughties,” he said.
“And if you are okay, then you can attack anything that comes your way.”
Better Man received glowing reviews from critics, who praised the decision to portray Williams as a CGI chimpanzee, and for not shying away from the more difficult themes in the singer’s story.
“What distinguishes Williams’s contributions to the musician-approved biopic genre, even more so than 2019’s refreshingly honest Rocketman (about Elton John, and originally slated to be directed by Gracey who ended up being executive producer), is his total disinterest in self-mythology,” The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote in her review.
“His smooth vocals, his stage presence, the forceful vulnerability of his songs – they all speak for themselves, and Williams is well aware of the magnitude of his 2003 record-breaking run at Knebworth Festival. But there’s not a lick of destiny to Better Man. As he tells us, in his narration, ‘my DNA is cabaret’. He’s here only to ‘give you a right f***ing entertaining’.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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