Troubled Robbie goes into rehab on his 33rd birthday
By TAHIRA YAQOOB
Last updated at 23:41 13 February 2007
Robbie Williams has booked himself into rehab to be treated for drug addiction.
The singer marked his 33rd birthday yesterday by admitting he had become hooked on prescription pills, thought to be anti-depressants.
Scroll down to watch video of Robbie behaving like a child
More here...
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The latest episode in his turbulent life comes after a 12-year battle with drink, drugs and depression which has plagued him since leaving Take That.
He is being treated at a clinic in Los Angeles, said his spokesman Bryony Watts. She added: 'Robbie has been admitted into a treatment centre for his dependancy on prescription drugs.'
Williams has become a recluse at his home in LA and recently cancelled the Asian leg of his world tour, citing stress and exhaustion.
But his admittance to a rehab clinic surprised even members of his family, who learned the news only as it became public yesterday.
His sister Sally said: 'He has a vulnerable side and is very human. People tend to put him on a pedestal and he has almost become public property. There is a lot of pressure that goes with that.
'He has a good family. Our mother has been fantastic and is incredibly supportive. She has done an awful lot for us both. Our thoughts are with him. We love him and we are there to support him.'
The revelation follows a string of setbacks for the singer, who has confessed to bouts of depression as well as drug and alcohol binges, most notably after leaving Take That in 1995.
Last year he told the BBC documentary series The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive: 'My first drug of choice was probably fantasy - fantastising about being an actor or being a singer or going to the moon. I don't know if that was to escape the depression. I was sad that my career was going up and my self-esteem was going down.
'With me, how my depression manifested itself was that I would stop going out. I would get up in front of 40,000 people and say, "Look at me, I'm ace".
'Then as soon as I got off stage, I would go back to my bedroom and pull the duvet over my eyes.
'Cocaine gave me a twitch and drink just made me ill - so all the props I had just had to be removed.'
Williams became one of Britain's most successful solo artists and had a string of high-profile relationships. At his peak the singer, said to be worth £90million, won several Brit awards.
But privately he was fighting his demons and spent his first spell in rehab in Wiltshire in 1995.
He told the documentary he had recently stayed vice-free for 13 months but felt no better so began taking antidepressants.
His illness has coincided with a mixed response to his latest album Rudebox.
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