Robbie Williams lives with the fear that his career could end at “any moment”.
The Angels hitmaker – who has been open in the past about his struggles with anxiety and stage fright – admitted that despite three decades in the spotlight, the fear of slipping up has never really gone away.
The former Take That star said the pressure of performing live still weighs heavily on him, especially given even after years of experience and global success.
He added that the unpredictability of live television and huge arena shows means he never fully relaxes, joking that one wrong move could spark chaos.
Appearing on Virgin Radio, he said: “I have autocue at the gigs and it is like having a safety wire, I know it but I have had moments on live TV where I have completely forgotten the words and completely forgotten the melody and that’s when you realise that the colour of adrenaline is brown!”
Robbie continued: “This is a type rope walk act…. We could fall. “I could cause an international incident at any moment, I could end my career at any moment! And that is the anxiety that I am walking with and talking with at all times.”
The 51-year-old singer suffers from major impostor syndrome.
He said: “It’s absolutely insane, my whole career exists on audacity and very little else.
“You know there is some shelves left unstacked at an Asda at Stoke-On-Trent because I am not there and that would be my rightful place.”
Robbie recently made UK chart history by scoring his 16th Number One album, breaking the long-standing record he shared with The Beatles.
The superstar’s latest release BRITPOP surged to the top of the Official Albums Chart on Friday in January, making him the artist with the most UK Number One albums of all time.
Robbie already held the record for the most chart-topping albums by a solo artist, but this latest achievement cements his position above any other act in British chart history.
Reacting to the milestone, Robbie Williams said: “BRITPOP is the record I’ve always wanted to make, and seeing it become my 16th Number 1 album means everything to me. Thank you to all the fans who have been with me every step of the way. You’ve made my dreams come true.”
In an interview with the BBC, he also said: “This is unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.
“I’ve always said my success has been the equivalent of stretching an elastic band from Stoke-on-Trent to the Moon. Well, I reckon the elastic band just got longer, and now it’s orbiting Venus.
“It’s just sensational what has happened. I feel like the Forrest Gump of pop.
“I’m going to take this week, at least, to remind myself of how lucky I am.
“Because for a while, I didn’t get to do that because of mental illness or whatever. But now I am firmly in a place where the garden is blossoming, and I’m just surveying the pastures.
“And, I think that’s the biggest achievement, that I can sit in that [moment] and take a deep breath and smile.”