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Robbie Williams has spoken out about his life-changing health battle for the first time.
Appearing on the first episode of the new season of Paul Whitehouse and Dr Mine Conkbayir’s podcast, I’m ADHD! No You’re Not, the British singer admitted he had been secretly living with Tourette’s.
“I’ve just realised that I have Tourette’s, but they don’t come out,” Robbie shared on the Podcast. “They are intrusive thoughts that happen. I was just walking down the road the other day, and I realised that these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourette’s. It just doesn’t come out.
“Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work as a distraction, but whatever it is inside me cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.”
Describing his Tourette’s as “intrusive,” he admitted that he was “always looking for the cure.”
Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. These tics can range from simple, repetitive actions like blinking or throat clearing to more complex movements or sounds. The severity and frequency of tics often vary over time and can be influenced by stress, excitement, or fatigue.
The music legend also revealed that he had recently undertaken an autism test, and that although it had come back negative, he did have “autistic traits.”
Sharing that he felt anxiety leaving his safe space, which is his bed, and a lifelong fear of touring, he added: “I have a very complicated relationship with touring and performing live. People say, ‘oh, you’re going on tour? You must be really, really excited.’ Not really. I’m terrified, right? I’m terrified.
“I mask like I’m an Olympian at masking because what I managed to do, to my detriment as well, is I will look full of bravado and look pompous and look smug and do these grand gestures, which have worked for me because they put my face on the poster and people still buy tickets.
“But actually, what’s happening is, I feel like the opposite of that all the time.”
The candid interview also saw Robbie share how he had been diagnosed with ADHD three times.
“The first one was around 2006, where I saw these things, ADHD, on the internet. I’m like, ‘all of those things are me.’ Wow,” he began. “And then I started to hear that you could get some medicine that behaved a bit like speed, right? Adderall.
“So, I go see the guy and I’m like, ‘I already know I’m all of these things. I already know that.’ So, I’ll go and say this, then you give me the thing. And he gave me the thing.
“There was a relief that I’d got it officially diagnosed, but then also there was more a relief that I was getting 200 of these tablets and then I thought the tablets might fix me because you’re always looking for the cure.
“You’re always looking for the cure for the ailment of the disease inside your head. So I quickly went from taking the pills to crushing them and snorting them!”
Robbie has long been open about his addiction battles, opening up in his 2017 book Reveal about his issues with anxiety, weight, and addiction.
