I'm battling depression says Robbie Williams

Published on Sunday 10 November 2002 00:00

POP idol Robbie Williams has revealed he has been secretly taking pills for the past six months to combat depression.

Williams, who recently signed an 80m deal with EMI Records, said he did not understand why he often felt so down.

The admission came as the former Take That star revealed he is to play two open-air concerts at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium next year. He is expected to entertain 120,000 fans at the home of the Scotland rugby team on June 29 and 30.

Admitting his use of anti-depressants in an interview, when he also spoke for the first time about his relationship with Rachel Hunter, Williams said: "The truth is that I’ve been a depressive. People think that if you’re depressed then you’re depressed about something, but I’m not.

"I just feel terrible, and it’s not about record sales or media or family. The real root of it all is actually I suffer with an illness that’s called depression."

Williams said he resisted taking medication for years "because I was determined one day I was going to wake up and it would have gone, and I could do it by myself".

But he admitted that eventually he turned to medication.

"That’s why I’m happy today. It really genuinely is," he said.

Talking about his current relationship with model Hunter, the former wife of rock star Rod Stewart, Williams said: "I’m a commitment-phobic. I get claustrophobic and I run off for a little bit, and then I realise that she is the most amazing woman and we have really lovely times together and I really miss her."

Williams also spoke of the decision taken by his former girlfriend, Nicole Appleton from pop group All Saints, to abort his child.

"I understand completely why Nic had to do it. I feel sad for her because she was going out with an idiot at the time. I wasn’t the most peaceful person to be with.

"It made me question what that all means, what God thinks about that, and what my role in it was and what I have to accept and what I have to make amends for."

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