Robbie Williams revealed he’s been grappling with mental health challenges, which he thinks led to him catching a disease that feels straight out of a history book—something you’d expect to hear about in a movie about pirates, not the modern world.
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The U.K. pop star recently disclosed that he was diagnosed with scurvy, a vitamin deficiency, earlier this year.
The 51-year-old told The Mirror that he started the year feeling depressed. He thought his diet might be part of the problem. To address this, he decided to try an appetite suppressant.
“The year started with some ill mental health, which I haven’t had for a very, very long time,” he told the outlet. He added that he felt “sad, I was anxious, I was depressed.”
Williams explained to The Mirror that he was first diagnosed with depression in his 20s and had since faced a lengthy battle with the condition.
“I thought I was at the other end of the arc,” he admitted. “So for it to return was just confusing.”
Family Health Setbacks Also Contributed to Robbie Williams’ Most Recent Bout with Depression
Williams explained that his parents were dealing with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, while his mother-in-law was fighting cervical cancer. He shared that these challenges had deeply affected his mental health.
Williams started to wonder if his diet might be playing a role in how he was feeling.
“I’d stopped eating and I wasn’t getting nutrients,” he explained. Williams told the outlet he was later diagnosed with scurvy, which he called a “17th century pirate disease.”
Scurvy, a severe deficiency of vitamin C, occurs when the body lacks this essential nutrient, per the Cleveland Clinic. While rare in the United States due to the nation’s generally nutrient-rich diet, scurvy is more commonly found in regions where malnutrition is prevalent.
Williams explained that once he made changes to his diet, his health improved, and his depression became much more manageable.
“The most important thing is for yourself to be okay,” he added.
Williams will begin his tour across the UK, Ireland, and Europe in May. His biographical musical drama, Better Man dropped last year.