Robbie Williams has described how retirement negatively affected his mental health, saying he felt he 'had no purpose'. The singer stepped back from the public eye in 2006 after struggling with media scrutiny, fame, and mental health issues.
Existential crisis and retirement
In an interview on the Heretics YouTube channel with Andrew Gold, Williams said he experienced an 'existential crisis'. He retired, sat on the sofa, wore a cashmere caftan from Morocco, and grew a beard because he had seen Paul McCartney do it when he left the Beatles. 'He looked really cool, and I just looked like a serial killer,' Williams said.
He added: 'And I ate Krispy Kremes, honey Dijon, kettle chips. I got really fat and watched all the Housewives of everywhere franchise and searched for UFOs from my bedroom window.'
Realisation after three years
After three years in retirement, Williams said he realised: 'I have no purpose. And then my brain started to turn to Swiss cheese, and I realised I had a moment of, "Oh, I understand why people die when they retire now."'
His retirement was short-lived. He has credited meeting his wife Ayda Field with getting him back on track. He returned to the spotlight by rejoining Take That in 2010 for the Progress album and launching a solo comeback.
Fear of career ending
Williams admitted: 'I retired, but I didn't tell anyone because I knew it wasn't a real retirement.' He is currently touring the world on his BRITPOP World Tour, covering the UK, Europe, South America, and Australia. His life was chronicled in the 2024 film Better Man.
In a recent interview with Virgin Radio, Williams said he still fears his career could end instantly: 'I could cause an international incident at any moment, I could end my career at any moment! And that is the anxiety that I am walking with and talking with at all times.'
