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He was only 33 yesterday and is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, with an estimated £100 million ($282 million) fortune to his name.
But despite that cheeky-chappie persona, the demons that haunt Robbie Williams appear to have resurfaced again.
Williams who famously fought a
battle with drink and drugs more than ten years ago announced on his birthday that he has been admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in the United States for addiction to prescription drugs - believed to be anti-depressants.
His spokeswoman Bryony Watts said: "Robbie Williams has today been admitted into a treatment centre in America for his dependency on prescription drugs" She said there would be no further comment.
Williams has been living mainly in Los Angeles for several years as part of his attempt to seriously break into the American market and to escape the social scene in Britain.
Although the statement did not specify which kind of prescription drugs, Williams has recently admitted to using anti-depressants.
Speaking on a BBC documentary on bipolar disorder with Stephen Fry last year he said that he had begun taking anti-depressants because he had feared a return to his earlier drink and drugs indulgences.
More recently, Lisa D'Amato, a model with whom had a relationship, was quoted as saying that Williams was plagued with worries about his image.
"It was clear he was struggling with his mind. He doesn't drink, but he needs antidepressants to get him through the day. A lot of the time he seemed on edge," she said in an interview.
Anti-depressants are normally part of a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) which include commonly prescribed brands such as Prozac and Seroxat.
In an article in The Independent yesterday, Kirsty Morrison, one of the survivors of the London bombs on July 7, 2005, told of her 'cold turkey' like symptoms when she tried to withdraw from using Citalopram, another SSRI, which had been prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Pam Armstrong, director of the Council for Information on Tranqilizers and Anti-depressants, a charity and information service, said the biggest problem for sufferers was trying to wean themselves off such drugs.
"People suffer anxiety, further depression, nausea, mood swings and cravings for sugar."
She said that although there was some debate in medical circles about whether they were addictive, she was in no doubt: "It can take months and months, people go into terrible shock and find it incredibly difficult."
As someone in the public eye, Williams, she said, need to ensure that he had the time to wean himself off the drugs.
Williams came to prominence with boy band Take That and launched himself as a solo singer at the height of their fame in 1995.
His acrimonious departure and difficult start to his solo career led to his first bout of addiction problems, mainly with cocaine and alcohol and treatment at the Clouds clinic in Britain, a period he later described as 'a black hole.'
He eventually found success with the single 'Angels' - which became his signature song - and the album Life Through a Lens.
A succession of chat topping singles and albums followed and he has now sold more albums and has received more Brit Awards than any other British solo act.
However, his career has slightly faltered over the past year with his last album, the electro/dance Rudebox, failing to compare both critically and in sales with his earlier successes.
It was also felt that he has suffered artistically after splitting with his long term writing partner, Guy Chambers.
Relations with his former band-mates in Take That are said to be good, although he declined an invitation to take part in their current re-union.
Despite a number of high-profile relationships with woman, including Rachel Hunter, the former wife of Rod Steward and ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, he has constantly been dogged by suggestions that he is gay and won a libel case against some newspapers and magazines which suggested that he was a secret homosexual.
He has joked about his camp image, saying: "An awful lot of gay pop stars pretend to be straight. I'm going to start a movement of straight pop stars pretending to be gay."
- INDEPENDENT
