Tearful Geri Halliwell tells how Robbie saved her

Halliwell, 37, said the former Take That star "possibly" saved her life by persuading her to book in to a clinic in the United States for treatment for bulimia.

"I was worried I'd get fat. I would binge and then felt fatter and would make myself sick. It was awful," she said.

The singer wept in front of a studio audience on Piers Morgan's Life Stories as she recalled how her weight plummeted after she left the Spice Girls in 1998.

She said: "Robbie knew about my bulimia and he advised me to get help. He told me to go into rehab and that possibly saved my life.

"The bulimia would have got worse without it. I will always be grateful to him, always."

She went on: "I became really close to Robbie after leaving the Spice Girls, and it was a very poignant friendship. I was lonely and felt he was the only person on the planet who could understand me because of his experiences with Take That. We understood each other.

"But I didn't really go out with him," she added. "I am happy and healthy now."

Halliwell joins a list of celebrities and politicians who have revealed hidden aspects of their life on Morgan's ITV show.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown wept on the programme as he revealed details of his baby son's fight for life.

Piers Morgan's Life Stories will be screened on ITV1 on 3 April.