Robbie Williams has revealed he has been diagnosed with autism, which he says he uses as a 'get out of jail free card' in strange situations.
The Take That singer, 52, who previously disclosed he has ADHD, opened up about the neurodevelopmental condition during a recent Q&A. He said: 'I have ADHD and I just found out I have a bit of autism as well, which I actually f****** love because it explains so much.'
'It is my get-out-of-jail-free card now, and all the weird s*** that I do I just say, “Sorry, I’m autistic.”'
How He Manages Intrusive Thoughts
Williams admitted his approach has been to 'train his brain to be creative' to block out thoughts that could make it 'panic and scared'. Speaking at the autumn/winter launch of his clothing brand Hopeium at Flannels, attended by the Daily Mail, he said he is 'completely and utterly obsessed with creating images and making funny things'.
Sharing an example of how his mind works, he explained: 'This is how crazy I am, recently, I was sitting on a plane, and I thought: ”What if I can have telekinesis and my intrusive thoughts tell the plane to crash itself”.'
'So that’s the kind of level of insanity that I’m dealing with. It’s best to train my brain to do something better than worrying about having supernatural powers and crashing a plane.'
Previous Revelations and Touring Struggles
This latest discussion follows his disclosure last October of having 'inside tourette' syndrome, which links to the intrusive thoughts. He told a podcast: 'I’ve just realised that I have Tourette’s, but they don’t come out. 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.'
His neurological conditions have also made live performances difficult, as he has a 'complicated relationship' with touring. He explained: 'People say: “Oh, you’re going on tour? You must be really, really excited.” Not really. I’m terrified. I mask, like I’m an Olympian at masking.'
Recent World Cup Final Incident
Last month, Williams made headlines after his live performance at the World Cup final, when a mysterious white object fell out of his mouth during an interview, later revealed as a piece of gum. Reflecting on the incident, he said: 'To have a Nicorette fall out of my mouth during a live interview… and then stick to my forehead… is the most me thing I’ve ever done.'
He added: 'It wouldn’t feel right if I appeared on the world stage and absolutely nothing weird happened.'
