Robbie Williams' turbulent marriage to Ayda Field - three break-ups to no sex
Robbie Williams and Ayda Field's 13-year marriage has fallen under the spotlight in his new documentary series. The Netflix show sees the popstar talk candidly about his relationship with the actress, 44, mother to his children Teddy, Charlie, Coco and Beau.
The couple, one of the strongest in showbiz, met back in 2006 when they worked together on a UFO documentary Robbie was producing for Radio 4. And it's fair to say their beginning wasn't exactly a fairytale.
The Angels singer, 49, stood Ayda up on their first date, saying: "I googled her, she was obviously very attractive. But I was also doing a lot of pills that were making me antisocial. So we had plans but I flaked." He soon realised his mistake, saying: "I left her a message days, weeks, later, and it made her laugh. We made plans to meet. But I wasn’t leaving my house, so she had to meet me there, which freaked her out a bit."
The couple forged a strong connection on their first date (Getty Images)
Ayda nearly lost her "soulmate" in the early stages of their relationship (AFP/Getty Images)When Ayda arrived at the popstar's home, things got even weirder - the house was in complete darkness and as they awkwardly chatted, she became convinced they had nothing in common. As the former Take That star drove Ayda back to the party she had come from however, an unlikely connection was formed.
"Maybe because we both surrendered to the fact that we were not each other’s person and this was a total mess," said the actress, who quickly realised she was going to fall in love with the entertainer despite the "red flags dancing above his head". "I cannot even tell you what happened. It was like the universe opened up."
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"I had this moment where I felt like I had known her forever," added Robbie. He disappeared to the bathroom and took some drugs, with Ayda rushing him out of there and heading home with him to "nurse" him.
A previously unseen snap of the couple shared by Robbie (Netflix)"We stayed up talking," she said. "He explained he had been sober for a very long time. He had just relapsed. It was like my entryway into addiction. I remember that being very scary."
A year later, troubled Robbie was still battling drug addiction. He broke up with his girlfriend in a tearful phone call on his 33rd birthday, the day before his team sent him to rehab. "I remember it was 2am and I called him and I was like: 'I am just getting on the highway' and he's like: 'Are you driving? Call me when you get home'," said the mum-of-four.
"And he is like: 'I can't be in a relationship, I have to get better and I can't be with you. I have to break up with you." Ayda was "crestfallen". "He was my soulmate and then he was gone," she said.
The couple reconciled and got engaged - but while had Robbie proposed he refused to discuss wedding plans. "We were together three years before he proposed and I think in his head that's how long it took him to even come round to that concept," said Ayda. "There were three break-ups before that. But he got there."
"We got engaged and I wasn't allowed to mention the word wedding. Two weeks later, my girlfriend gave me wedding magazines and I brought them into the house and he was like 'What's that? Who said anything about a wedding?' My heart sank. I started in my head to think: 'Is this a ring, this is not ok, I'll give it back'."
The couple went onto plan their August 7, 2010 wedding in secret due to Robbie's superstar status. Guests on the big day thought they were attending a James Bond-themed party but were in fact about to witness the couple tie the knot at his home in Mulholland Estates in Beverly Hills.
"The setting was so magical, and to be surrounded by family and close friends and then see Ayda appear looking so radiant was almost too much for me to take… I'm the happiest man alive," he said. Daughter Teddy came along two years later with son Charlie arriving in 2014. The couple had two more kids via surrogate, daughter Coco in 2018 and son Beau in 2020.
A rare glimpse of the couple's four kids, photographed by Ayda (Ayda Field /Instagram)
Robbie and Ayda have had ups and downs in their relationship (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)They live in a £17.5m mansion in West London, selling their homes in LA, Switzerland and Wiltshire when they figured out where they wanted to be based to raise their family. Robbie was famously a big philanderer in his popstar prime, dating celebrities including Melanie C, Geri Horner and Lindsay Lohan and sleeping with countless other women. But sex is less of a priority now and the family man insists Ayda gives him everything he wants and more.
"My thing in the '90s was sex with strangers, I didn't know whether I'd be able to give that up," he said. "The thing with sex with other people is very much like cocaine. I'm not looking for cocaine any more and therefore I don't find it."
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The star says his libido dropped when he stopped taking testosterone to treat his depression. He jokes "everyone knows there is no sex after marriage" with Ayda agreeing their sex life is "completely dead". But the lack of action in the bedroom is not an issue and the actress thinks people confuse sex for intimacy.
"We are always cuddling and kissing, holding hands, and touching each other when we are just watching TV on the sofa, or a movie, or whatever," she said. "She's really empathetic, really kind, incredibly smart and very, very funny - and I trust her," added Robbie.
* Watch Robbie Williams on Netflix.
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