13 November 2023 , 10:41
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Warning: this article contains dressing content.
Robbie Williams is raising eyebrows with his new hotly-anticipated docuseries on Netflix. The superstar is filmed opening up about his downward spiral after finding uber-stardom with one of the biggest pop bands Take That - detailing his crippling anxiety, depression and addiction that went with it.
When it comes to his home life, his wife Ayda Field, 44, features in the four-parter, but his romances before meeting the actress are undisclosed - as footage from a 2000 holiday with Geri Horner is highlighted but it is unclear whether they were in fact together. One past relationship that was well documented at the time was with his ex-girlfriend Nicole Appleton.
The All Saints star fell for Robbie when he embarked on his solo career after they first met during the filming of Top of the Pops in 1997. A year later, Robbie, 49, proposed to the singer however their turbulent nine-month romance came to a tragic end when Nicole made the tough decision to abort their baby - a move she alleged was forced upon her by music bosses.
Robbie and Nicole's relationship ended when she had an abortion (EMPICS Entertainment)The termination didn't come lightly, Robbie wanted nothing more than to welcome their baby, but Nicole claimed she was forced into it by her record company. And the loss of their baby devastatingly left her feeling like she wanted to end her life.
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Writing in her 2002 book called Together with her sister Natalie, Nicole wrote: "Robbie Williams put his hand on my belly and told me 'This baby is saving my life. After having my abortion I was in shock. I couldn't believe what I had done. I wanted to kill myself."
She added: "Afterwards, everyone pretended it hadn't happened. I was too scared for confrontation. I am only now starting to get my confidence back. But writing about it made me confront it all. I'm so glad I did it. It was there, but I'd never told anyone in detail. It was like I was saying `Now do you understand why my confidence disappeared?'"
Nicole, who went on to have a son with Oasis star Liam Gallagher, says she kept it a secret for so long because of how 'small' the music world is, adding: "I couldn't do anything because I was in the band."
She previously admitted that Robbie was the love of her life but after their heartbreak, they parted ways in January 1999. She said that Robbie supported her move in sharing their loss in her memoir, however it was still a painful read for Robbie.
Robbie has opened up about his troubles in a Netflix documentary (Getty Images)
The pair were engaged (Alpha-Cisotti-Deidda)He previously told the Daily Mail: "I was completely behind her... If there's something that's so deep-rooted within yourself that you feel it would feel better to you that you exorcised it and got it off your chest because secrets can make you sick and secrets can make you feel terrible... then I'm completely behind her.
"It was really sad though, it was really sad. Obviously, I was gonna come back to England and there was gonna be questions like this asked, so I needed to know what was going on with it, and it really upset me and tore me apart a little bit."
The singers went on to have their happy endings eventually - as Nicole who has 22-year-old son Gene with Liam is now married to commercial director Stephen Haines. She gave birth to their daughter Skipper in March 2020.
Robbie, who has been married to actress Adya Field for 13 years, met back in 2006 when they worked together on a UFO documentary Robbie was producing for Radio 4. After their many ups and downs, breaking up three times, they had four children Theodora 'Teddy' 11, Charlton 'Charlie', nine, Colette 'Coco and three-year-old Beau Benedict.
If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected] or visit their site to find your local branch