British Singer Robbie Williams Says He Got ‘17th-Century Pirate Disease’ After Extreme Weight Loss

The 51-year-old pop singer was diagnosed with scurvy after losing nearly 30 pounds last year.

Robbie Williams poses on the red carpet during the Dutch premiere of the movie "Better Man" in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on Dec. 10, 2024. Robin Utrecht/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

British pop singer Robbie Williams recently disclosed that he was diagnosed with scurvy after losing nearly 30 pounds last year while taking an appetite-suppressant medication to lose weight.

“I’d stopped eating and I wasn’t getting nutrients,” Williams, 51, told the Mirror in an April 7 interview, describing the rare condition as “a 17th-century pirate disease.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, scurvy is caused by a severe vitamin C deficiency, typically resulting from a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential nutrient that plays a critical role in numerous bodily functions, such as tissue repair and collagen production, the Mayo Clinic reports.

Symptoms of the condition may include fatigue, weakness, joint pain, bleeding gums, and easy bruising. Scurvy may prove life-threatening if left untreated. However, with proper treatment, people typically fully recover within about two weeks.

Speaking to the Mirror, Williams acknowledged that his struggle with body dysmorphia—a mental health condition that is characterized by an obsession with perceived physical flaws—had led him to use the weight loss drug.

The singer, who was previously diagnosed with depression in his 20s, said he believed his poor diet could have partially contributed to a recent bout of depressive feelings he experienced earlier this year—something he had not contended with in about a decade.

“The year started with some ill mental health, which I haven’t had for a very, very long time. I was sad, I was anxious, I was depressed,” Williams explained.

“It’s been about ten years...I thought I was at the other end of the arc. I thought this was the end of my story, and that I would just go walking into this marvelous wonderland. So for it to return was just confusing.”

Mental Health Struggles

Williams and his wife of almost 15 years, actress Ayda Field Williams, have four children together: Theodora, 12; Charlton, 10; Colette, 6; and Beau, 5.

The singer rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the pop boy band Take That. He later pursued a solo career, releasing his first album, “Life Thru a Lens,” in 1997.

The Grammy-nominated artist has put out more than a dozen albums since then, including “I’ve Been Expecting You” (1998), “Rudebox” (2006), “Take the Crown” (2012), and “The Heavy Entertainment Show” (2016).

Williams has been candid about his prior mental health struggles, including his battles with anxiety and agoraphobia, a disorder marked by an intense fear of being in situations that could trigger feelings of entrapment.

Williams told The Sun in July 2019 that he was “unable to leave the sofa” from 2006 to 2009 due to the debilitating condition.

“It was my body and mind telling me I shouldn’t go anywhere, that I couldn’t do anything. It was telling me to just wait—so I literally just sat and waited,” he told the publication.

By 2010, Williams had conquered his fears, rejoining his former bandmates in Take That to release the group’s sixth studio album, “Progress.” The singer also joined the group the following year for the Progress Tour, which supported the album’s release.

“I had to re-learn how to entertain. It wasn’t an easy process—it was like having a car crash and then learning how to walk again,” Williams explained.

Despite making strides in his mental health, Williams admitted in a recent Instagram post that he is still “plagued by intrusive thoughts” today.

“‘Plagued’ sounds dramatic. Let’s say I’m routinely bothered by them. The voice of anxiety or the unhinged madman within,” the pop star wrote in an Instagram post on April 4.

“So, I’ve employed a tactic. I’d advise you to try it too. If you’re the kind of person who always thinks the worst is about to happen—say: ‘WE DON’T DO THAT ANYMORE.’ Say it out loud. Say it in your head. Say it until you win that battle. Then say it again when the next one comes.”