Robbie Williams says social interaction still frightens him
After more than three decades in the music industry, Robbie Williams says meeting fans still causes panic.
English singer Robbie Williams is opening up about his social anxiety.
The 51-year-old, who is known for hits such as 'Rock DJ', 'Lovelight' and 'Come Undone', first gained fame in the 90s as a member of pop band Take That.
Despite countless interactions with fans over the years, Williams says he still feels "discomfort" when strangers approach him.
He talks candidly about his anxiety while recalling a recent domestic flight "going across America".
Williams says he had three interactions with passengers who wanted to take a picture with him. He says he does his best to make his fans happy, but it gets difficult at times.
"There's a kind of unspoken law: as a celebrity, you should be accessible 24/7. Greet all strangers like you're the mayor of the best town anyone's ever visited," he wrote.
Williams stressed that he isn't complaining, but is simply trying to make people understand how he feels.
"Now listen - if we cross paths in the wild and you are a fan of me, I want you to tell me. That means a lot. I'll make time. I've got gratitude for that. It warms my heart when I feel I've warmed yours."
However, he says it is not just one person, one photo, one request, but multiple interactions at a time.
"Every interaction, with strangers or even people I know well, fills me with discomfort. I mask it well. But social interaction still frightens me. So much so, I didn't go out for years."
Williams adds that he is now "ok-ish" with it.
"I had to relearn how to interact. And I had to do it without drugs or drink. I used to find it impossible.
"Every time a stranger approaches - and they are strangers - I panic."
While some fans are respectful, Williams says he has had to deal with a few "d**kheads".
"I've dealt with every type these last few days: the entitled, the sociopaths, the narcissists, the disassociated, the passive-aggressive, the silently-judgmental, the off."
The singer received an outpouring of love and support from his fans, including Paris Hilton and Amy Macdonald.
"This made me cry," Hilton commented. "Love you bro. Thank you for being vulnerable and saying how you feel."
Macdonald also shared her own experience.
"Someone asked me for a photo once when I was at the vet crying because my dog had just been put to sleep. I was crying in the photo because I felt I couldn’t say no, for all the reasons you’ve mentioned here."
Read Williams' full post below.
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Main image credit: Instagram/@robbiewilliams