British pop icon Robbie Williams has been open about his battle with an eating disorder and body dysmorphia for years. Now, the “Millennium” singer is revealing that the disease worsened last year to the point that he wound up with scurvy.
“I’d stopped eating and I wasn’t getting nutrients,” Williams, who recently detailed his life in the 2024 film Monkey Man, told The Mirror in an interview published on Monday, April 7. He had gone on an appetite suppressant in an attempt to lose weight.
The “Angels” singer, who developed scurvy due to a severe lack of Vitamin C, called the illness a “17th century pirate disease.”
Williams, 51, had been about a decade in recovery, he explained, when the eating disorder reared its head again — as he faced “pervasive” depression last year that he hadn’t felt in a “very, very long time.”
When asked how his wife, Ayda Field, reacted to his weight loss, Williams got candid about how the eating disorder affected his own mindset when hearing how she felt.
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“With body dysmorphia, when people say they’re worried about how you’re looking, you’re like: ‘I’ve achieved it,’” he explained. “When people say: ‘We’re worried you’re too thin’ that goes into my head as ‘Jackpot. I’ve reached the promised land.’”
These days, Williams is more hopeful, sharing with the outlet that his depression has improved since changing his diet.
The legendary artist also knows the importance of having a positive place to escape to when things get rough — something he seeks for his concert-goers every night onstage.
“I want to make people happy and transport them somewhere else … if only for a couple of hours,” Williams, who is currently on tour, told the outlet.
If you or someone you know is dealing with disordered eating, you can contact the National Eating Disorders Helpline at (800) 931-2237 or text “NEDA” to 741741 for immediate support.
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