Robbie Williams reveals how he and wife Ayda Field use humour to talk to their children about his addiction battle as he admits he ‘would have died’ if he hadn’t gotten sober

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Robbie Williams shares that he uses dark humor to discuss his past struggles with drugs and alcohol with his children. His oldest child even jokingly refers to him as ‘Narcissistic Dad’.

Robbie Williams, 51, has openly discussed his struggles with addiction during his peak years as a member of Take That. He sought treatment in rehab in 2007 after abusing a variety of drugs, including speed, LSD, heroin, cocaine, and dangerously high doses of prescription medication.

I’ve been following his journey for years, and it’s incredible to see how far he’s come! He’s maintained his sobriety for over twenty years now, and built a beautiful life with his wife, Ayda, and their four kids. They have two daughters, Teddy who’s twelve and Coco who’s seven, and two sons, Charlie who’s ten, and little Beau who’s five. It’s just wonderful to see him thriving as a husband and father.

Robbie recently shared that he and Ayda use humor when discussing his past struggles with addiction with their children. This allows them to understand he wasn’t always perfect without fully comprehending the seriousness of his past behavior.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the singer described a period of intense substance abuse in the 1990s, saying he struggled with severe alcoholism and addiction for about 18 months.

When things were at their worst, I didn’t give up – I kept pushing forward and created something new. If I had stopped there, I wouldn’t have survived.

He explained that his children know about his difficult past, but he presents it to them in a lighthearted and funny way.

Teddy has categorized me as ‘Narcissistic Dad’ in her iPad contacts, alongside a list of other conditions – addictions, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and even self-obsession and narcissism.

We often use humor to cope with difficult realities, but others might not get it. My wife and I express our affection by playfully teasing each other, and it seems like our kids are starting to adopt that same kind of dark, ironic humor.

I was so fascinated to hear Ayda talk last year about how open she and Robbie are with their kids about his history. She explained they never hide anything, and it was amazing to learn just how much their oldest, Teddy, already understands about his dad’s life as a celebrity. It’s really refreshing to see them handle things this way!

In an interview on Loose Women last October, the actress shared that she and her partner have always had a naturally open relationship.

We’ve never had a direct conversation with Teddy about his father’s struggles. We haven’t sat him down and explicitly told him about the addiction or the affairs. Of course, he did see the documentary on Netflix, though.

We talk openly with our children about their father’s life and experiences, as well as our own journey as a couple, in a way that’s suitable for their age. We never avoid these important conversations.

We’re always mindful of how we discuss this, but we’re very open and honest with our daughter, Teddy. She knows her father struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, and understands that’s why he avoids those substances.

Ayda explained that Teddy understands enough about Robbie’s life story to share it appropriately, and they plan to tell their other children when they’re older, so they’ll hear it directly from them instead of from others.

We tend to deal with sensitive issues privately and proactively, before they become public knowledge and cause embarrassment – like someone discovering a documentary about my father’s past addiction.

At his lowest point, Robbie revealed he was dangerously close to dying from a severe drug addiction, telling people he was only a day away from death.

Back in 2009, he admitted to taking a dangerous amount of prescription drugs. He said he’d regularly take twenty Vicodin pills in one night, to the point where he felt he was close to death. He also used Adderall, a stimulant, in large quantities, describing it as a powerful drug similar to speed.

Prescription drug abuse was a major problem in America, and I unfortunately experienced it myself. Seeing what happened to celebrities like Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Jackson, and Heath Ledger – all struggling with pills – really resonated with me because I understood what they were going through.

In his 2023 Netflix documentary, Robbie Williams revealed he started using drugs to cope with the pressures of being in Take That. He explained how this led to addiction and a loss of control over his life.

He admitted to heavy substance use, including ecstasy, cocaine, and a lot of alcohol. He described drinking nearly a bottle of vodka every night before rehearsals.

I’m completely spiraling out of control, trapped in a cycle of cocaine and alcohol abuse. I feel powerless to help myself or break free from this.

He explained that it’s a cycle of feeling hungover, then not hungover, only to start the process of getting hungover again. It’s a constant loop.

It was clear to everyone that I was struggling, but no one seemed to help. I’d reached a crisis point, and things had gotten so bad that my boss realized I needed professional help – I needed to go to rehab.

I turned to drinking and drugs to escape my feelings, but when I stopped, all the emotions I’d been hiding for years resurfaced. I’m struggling with depression and mental illness.

Robbie, diagnosed with depression in his twenties, explained that people at the time often couldn’t understand why someone successful or experiencing good things would be unhappy.

Performing in front of such a large crowd felt incredibly intense. It was like being trapped in a burning building with no good options – stay and risk being consumed, or jump and face certain death. That’s how deeply uncomfortable it was.

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2025-12-21 18:53