By Ina Michaelis-Ugwonno
Robbie Williams (49) inspires millions of people with his songs and on stage. But he has a hard time struggling with himself: The singer suffers from dysmorphophobia, a disorder in the perception of one’s own body. He has now made it public on Instagram.
“My ideal weight is when people worry about me,” reads a drawing Williams posted. The sarcastic comic, which Robbie refers to as “dark humor,” sets the stage for a lengthy explanation.
He admits: “I could write a book about pure self-loathing when it comes to my body image. About the ugliness of feeling ugly.”
For years, the father of four has struggled with his pounds and with being able to love himself. Because Robbie has lost a lot of weight in recent months, many of his fans are worried.
If he had the choice of a superpower, he wouldn’t choose to fly, the 49-year-old tries to explain how he feels inside. He would much rather be able to eat as much as he wants and still stay at his ideal weight.
“It’s a bloody disaster”
“I suffer from dysmorphophobia,” Williams reveals. “On top of that, I can sometimes be 40+ pounds overweight. So you can imagine what my psyche sees. Either way it’s a bloody disaster.”
Even now that he’s lost a lot of weight, Robbie Williams isn’t comfortable with his body. “Right now I’m skinny, but the way I am I’m like, ‘Oh great Rob, you managed to get skinny and now you’re old,'” the singer tries to explain his dilemma, which relates to his mental disorder is due.
Robbie Williams with his wife Ayda (stock photo) Photo: Dave Thompson/PA Wire/picture alliance
“The struggle is real, the sadness is shocking. I’ve had them all my life. And it won’t let up,” says Robbie Williams. Self-acceptance and self-love seem impossible for the superstar.
He wanted to share his diagnosis of dysmorphophobia “to free me,” he explains. “And if someone else recognizes themselves in the words I wrote, maybe it will help both of us.”
What is dysmorphophobia?
Dysmorphophobic disorder is characterized by people believing their own body is not beautiful enough and has flaws. The perception of one’s own body is disturbed.
Those affected see their body differently than their environment, often have considerable fears and a great deal of suffering because of the pathological disorder.