Robbie Williams opens up on bitter feud with Gary Barlow after admitting he became jealous and resentful
Robbie Williams has opened up about his bitter feud with former bandmate Gary Barlow, admitting he became ‘jealous’ and that he ‘resented’ him.
Robbie, 49, is looking back on his life in a brand new Netflix documentary, which landed today (8 November) on the streamer.
A synopsis says: “Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of his solo career, this is the definitive 4-part documentary series on the most successful UK solo artist of all time.
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“Featuring hundreds of hours of intimate, never-before-seen personal archive spanning 30 years, exclusive access to Robbie and helmed by an acclaimed filmmaking team including Asif Kapadia as an EP; this culture-defining series is the first of its kind to explore the real human being behind the salacious headlines.”
Looking back on his rollercoaster career, we see how he was plunged into fame at the tender age of 16 when he joined Take That – along with the fallout that led to him ultimately quitting the band.
In episode one, he admits he struggled with ‘jealousy’ as he noticed Gary Barlow getting all the glory among the band’s ‘obsessive’ fanbase’.
He recalls: "When I turned about 19 I started to have a long, hard think about what was happening. Too many interviews, too many performances, so many countries to visit and then repeat it.
"Take That's fandom was obsessive. It was intense! On top of that there was an assurance about Gaz and his ability mixed with a coldness.
"And it seemed like there was one person being managed in Take That, and it was Gary Barlow. It was all geared around him and as a young person, I would've been jealous of that. I suppose a lot of me resented him."
Later in the episode, Robbie’s daughter comes to speak to him as he talks to the cameras about his early career.
“Question: who did you hate the most and why?” she asks.
“I disliked Gary the most because he was the one that was supposed to have the everything and the career, and I wanted to make him pay. I was vengeful.”
When his daughter presses him on how he ‘made him pay’, Robbie responds: “By having the career that he was supposed to have.”
We also see archive footage of Robbie on stage telling the crowd about his time with Take That, making various digs at a number of his former bandmates.
"There's somebody booing me down here that actually likes Gary Barlow,” he jokes.
“He's not selling any more records now, girls! Let's face it, he's dead."
Reflecting on the footage with his daughter, Robbie says he feels ‘sorry’ that he ‘treated Gary like that’.
Watch Robbie Williams on Netflix now.
Topics: Robbie Williams, TV And Film, Documentaries, Netflix, Music, Celebrity
Jess Hardiman