Robbie Williams says gallows humor helps talk to kids about addiction while celebrating decades of sobriety
The singer and Ayda Field describe their open conversations with their four children about his past battles with drugs and alcohol.
Robbie Williams says he and his wife Ayda Field use gallows humor to talk to their children about his addiction battle, and he credits sobriety—now more than two decades long—with giving him a steadier life and a safer home for their four kids. The former Take That star, 51, has been candid about his struggles at the height of his fame, including a 2007 rehab stint after years of heavy drug and alcohol use. He is now a husband and father to daughters Teddy, 12, and Coco, seven, and sons Charlie, 10, and Beau, five.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Williams detailed a period in which he said there were 18 months of acute alcoholism and addiction. He described rock bottom in stark terms, saying: “And when I reached rock bottom, I got a spade and dug a basement. If I had carried on, I would have died.” He has since remained sober for more than 20 years, a fact he frames as pivotal to his family life and career longevity. The singer’s reflections come as he and Field have openly discussed how they discuss his past with their children in age-appropriate ways, avoiding secrecy while avoiding sensationalism.
The couple’s approach centers on humor as a communication tool. Williams explained that the family speaks about past addictions and diagnoses in a way that acknowledges their reality without turning the home into a classroom of fear. “There were all the addictions, alcoholism, ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, self-obsession and narcissism,” he recalled, noting that their eldest child, Teddy, has him saved in her iPad as “Narcissistic Dad.” He added that the family operates in a space where wide laughter and joking help their kids grasp the idea that “dad’s past was wild” without exposing them to the full severity of it.
This candid stance echoes remarks Field has shared publicly in the past. Last year, she discussed why she and Williams do not shy away from talking about his past with their children. Appearing on Loose Women, Field explained that they aim to address sensitive aspects of their lives in an age-appropriate manner and that Teddy has learned “a lot about Robbie’s story to the right degree.” She stressed that the family does not wait for a documentary or headlines to bring these discussions into the open; instead, they weave them into daily life to prevent surprises when larger issues come to light.
The couple’s openness reportedly extends to ongoing conversations about how Williams’s fame intersected with his struggles. Field has described how Teddy knows about the father’s life in the spotlight and how the family plans to tell the other children about the past as they grow older. The aim, according to Field, is to keep things honest and contextualized so that the children understand rather than hear rumors or third‑party interpretations.
Williams has been outspoken about how dangerous his pattern of abuse could have become. In a 2009 interview, he said he was “24 hours away from death” at the peak of his addiction, describing a dangerous routine that included taking up to 20 Vicodin in a night and using Adderall, a drug commonly associated with prescription misuse. He drew parallels to public figures who struggled with prescription pills, saying the period was not the best of his life. He has since linked his relapse to the pressures of fame and the lure of substances that masked emotional pain.
The singer has continued to discuss his sobriety in later years, including in his 2023 Netflix documentary, where he described turning to drugs as a misguided form of safety after leaving Take That. He recalled a spiraling pattern in which he ingested ecstasy, cocaine and drank heavily, noting that he would drink “a bottle of vodka a night before going into rehearsals.” He described feeling as if he were in freefall and acknowledged that those around him understood he needed help, ultimately supporting his entry into rehab so he could rebuild his life and family relationships.
Images from Williams’s public appearances over the years have captured the arc of his life—from the height of stardom through his recovery.
Today, Williams and Field describe their parenting approach as a blend of honesty, humor and boundaries. They have built a home where difficult truths can be acknowledged without creating a sense of doom, and where their children understand that their father’s past is part of his story but not a blueprint for their future. Williams’s ongoing sobriety remains a central pillar of his personal narrative, and he and Field say that openness about his past helps protect the family’s present and future.
As Williams points to his own experiences, he frames his relationship with his children as a learning process built on trust, mutual respect and a shared sense of humor. He emphasizes that acknowledging past mistakes is not about glamorizing them but about ensuring that his children are aware, safe and supported as they navigate the complexities of growing up in a high-profile family. The broader message from the couple appears to be that open, age-appropriate dialogue can help children understand difficult realities while preserving a sense of security and family unity.
The couple’s disclosures add to a growing public conversation about how families handle addiction and recovery in the spotlight. By choosing candor over concealment and humor over shame, Williams and Field offer a model—within their household and beyond—for discussing relapse, treatment, and resilience in a way that is informative for fans and hopeful for families facing similar struggles.