- Do YOU have a story? Send an email to tips@dailymail.com
Robbie Williams has admitted he never felt his “place within Take That was safe” after he was almost kicked out of the band when he was just 16.
The singer, 50, was the youngest member of the band – along with Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald – from when they formed in 1990 until he went solo in 1995.
Robbie recalled how he struggled to learn the “intricate dance moves” and felt his manager, Nigel Martin-Smith, never “loved or liked him”, leading him to “seek safety in drugs and alcohol”.
Speaking in the upcoming BBC documentary Boybands Forever, he said Martin threatened to kick him out.
Robbie began: “The first few days of production were spent in rehearsals.”
Robbie Williams has admitted he never felt his “place within Take That was safe” after he was almost kicked out of the band when he was just 16 (pictured in July).
The singer, 50, was the youngest member of the band, alongside Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald, from when they formed in 1990 until he went solo in 1995 (pictured in 1992 ).
He continued: “I had no dance experience and the routines were so complex that I had trouble following the steps, which made me look lazy.”
‘This was put in an unfavorable way. Let’s just say that Nigel wasn’t very happy with my request.
“It won’t be hard to kick you out of the band and get someone else with dark hair from Stoke-On-Trent and call him Robbie,” is what I remember.
‘It made me feel like my place within the band was never safe or guaranteed. They didn’t love me, they didn’t even want me and I was 16.’
Responding to the claims, Nigel added: “I think we all loved each other and still love each other.” It’s smart, isn’t it? It’s my fault because part of what we discussed was storytelling. “Robbie is brilliant at that.”
“No one goes through that level of fame and comes out on the other side sane or not mentally affected by it.
“So if you combine that with a manager who wasn’t great at managing people or managing emotions, that’s a toxic workplace.”
My way of finding security came in the form of substances and alcohol. I’ve gone wild, a lot of coke, a lot of darkness. Many falls that were hellish. Complete active addiction.’
Robbie recalled how he struggled to learn the “intricate dance moves” and felt his manager, Nigel Martin-Smith, never “loved or liked” him, leading him to “seek safety in drugs” (pictured in 1992).
Nigel recalled: “He was getting drunk and partying and I think he did some kind of drug, a couple of E’s or whatever, just what kids his age do when they go out at night.” It wasn’t a big deal. “I would have known if it was that bad.”
Robbie said Nigel should have “known better” and done his part to “protect” him.
“He’s smart, he’s Robbie, and he’s pretty smart to say, ‘I did drugs because I was in a band where I wasn’t allowed to have girlfriends or whatever, that evil Nigel,'” the manager responded.
Robbie continued: “Either I’m incredibly intelligent or I may have experienced something that really hurt me.”
Boybands Forever delves into the careers of ’90s and ’90s artists such as Take That, Westlife and Blue, and will air this weekend.