Robbie Williams is sad that One Direction singer Harry Styles won't get to live out the perks of being famous as much as he did - in particular enjoying while nights out without being caught.

He told The Sun newspaper: "I feel a bit for Harry. At his age I was in this lilywhite boyband, Take That.

"But I was meeting up with mates, jumping out of the tour bus and into a transit van at motorway service stations all around the country. No one had a camera phone."

Harry, 18, is extremely popular with the ladies, something Robbie can identify with.

He continued: "It's only natural a lad in a boyband will be compared to me at some point.

"Everybody is a ladies' man or a man's man, whatever your persuasion might be. He's just having a nice time."

But the star admitted he is slightly envious of Harry's youth and what he has to look forward to.

Robbie added: "I see Harry through bitter-getting-old-and-married-and-can't-do-all-of-that-any-more eyes.

"Also, I've got a lot of love for him and One Direction. On the pie chart, the love outweighs the bitterness - but the bitterness is in there too."

-BANG! Showbiz