Robbie Williams reveals he contracted ‘a 17th-century pirate disease’
Robbie Williams has revealed that he was diagnosed with scurvy after taking an appetite-suppressant drug.
The singer, 51, revealed in a candid interview that he has been struggling with a variety of mental and physical issues in the past year.
Robbie explained that last year he lost nearly two stone after using a weight loss drug, but it had rather negative effects on his health.
‘I’d stopped eating and I wasn’t getting nutrients,’ he said, explaining he was lacking in vitamin C and contracted scurvy.
‘A 17th-century pirate disease,’ Robbie told The Mirror.
He added that he was getting incredibly thin, but his body dysmorphia made concerned comments from friends and family sound like compliments.
‘With body dysmorphia, when people say they’re worried about how you’re looking, you’re like: “I’ve achieved it.’ When people say, “We’re worried you’re too thin,” that goes into my head as “Jackpot. I’ve reached the promised land.”‘
The singer has previously spoken about losing weight while taking ‘something like Ozempic’.
The former Take That singer revealed he had lost 26 pounds since starting the controversial medication, originally developed for managing type 2 diabetes.
‘Babe, I’m on Ozempic. Well, something like Ozempic. It’s like a Christmas miracle. I’ve gone from 13st 13lb to 12st 1lb,’ he told The Times in December 2023.
‘And I need it, medically. I’ve been diagnosed with type 2 self-loathing. It’s shockingly catastrophic to my mental health to be bigger.’
The Rock DJ hitmaker added: ‘My inner voice talks to me like Katie Hopkins talks about fat people. It’s maddening.’
In the interview with The Mirror,the star also revealed that some mental health issues accompanied the physical changes in his body.
‘The year started with some ill mental health, which I haven’t had for a very, very long time. I was sad, I was anxious, I was depressed.’
He added that he hadn’t suffered from depression in 10 years, so this was ‘confusing’ for him after so many years.
The singer has been open in recent months about his parents’ decline in health.
In 2024, he revealed that his mother Janet had been diagnosed with dementia, which comes four years after his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
‘My mum’s currently got dementia,’ he told HELLO! in 2024, ‘and my dad’s got Parkinson’s and can’t get out of bed. So I’m in a different part of my life right now.’
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