Robbie Williams says being approached by fans leaves him ‘crawling inside’

Singer Robbie Williams has opened up about his struggles with fan interactions, revealing that selfie requests trigger "discomfort" and "panic".

The 51-year-old singer, who has previously spoken about his battles with depression, addiction, and agoraphobia, detailed a recent experience on a US flight in a candid Instagram post.

Williams described feeling sleep-deprived when a fan approached him with a "lovely note" praising his Netflix documentary, which chronicles his struggles with fame.

While he appreciated the sentiment, he declined a selfie request, telling the fan it would "spike" his anxiety.

He also feared it could draw unwanted attention from the rest of the cabin, he said.

However, it wasn't an isolated incident. Williams recounted further encounters on the same flight, including another fan note and a direct request for a photo that left him feeling "obliged".

Williams said: “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. And I had to do it without drugs or drink.

“I used to find it impossible. Now I’m… OK-ish. But still crawling inside. Every time a stranger approaches – and they are strangers – I panic.”

Williams said it is “dodgy terrain for a famous person to give context around”, as he feels there is an “unspoken law: as a celebrity, you should be accessible 24/7”.

He added you have to “greet all strangers like you’re the mayor of the best town anyone’s ever visited. Make sure their wishes are met, whatever they are”, but said they are “fans of fame not necessarily of me”.

“Now listen – if we cross paths in the wild and you are a fan of me, I want you to tell me,” Williams added.

“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.”

He urged fans to give celebrities the “dignity of their privacy, their wants, their needs”, as he could be “on the phone with my mum, talking (about) her dementia” or “thinking about my dad’s Parkinson’s”.

The former Take That member, who is second to The Beatles as the act with the most number one albums, having had 15 chart-topping UK records, had his biopic Better Man released in 2024.

While speaking about his Netflix docuseries Robbie Williams in 2023, he said the film was about taking back “power”.

He said: “The most revealing bits are the breakdown in mental health and the addictions and the agoraphobias and the body dysmorphias and the dyslexia and the dyscalculia.”

In November 2024, he said that he felt “remarkable” after coming out the other end of a more than decade-long struggle with his mental health.