Robbie Williams Reveals Autism Diagnosis: ‘It Explains So Much’

Ilana KaplanFri, August 14, 2026 at 5:36 PM UTC

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Robbie Williams in May 2026 in Cap d’Antibes, FranceCredit: Gisela Schober/Getty -

Robbie Williams shared that he received an autism diagnosis

Per a Thursday, Aug. 13 report from the Daily Mail, the Take That musician said that the diagnosis “explains so much”

Williams previously spoke about having Tourette syndrome in October 2025

Robbie Williams revealed his autism diagnosis.

According to a Thursday, Aug. 13 report from the Daily Mail, the Take That musician said that he has “a little bit of autism” and battles “intrusive thoughts.”

Williams, 52, addressed the subject during a Q&A for the Autumn/Winter launch of his clothing brand Hopeium at Flannels.

Robbie Williams in February 2026 in Manchester, EnglandCredit: JMEnternational/Getty

He added that he considers his diagnosis a “get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Williams, who also has ADHD, further explained that he’s taught his brain to be “creative” as a coping mechanism.

‘With the ADHD you can completely and utterly concentrate on something 1000% but with absolutely everything else, you just cannot do it. Ask my kids,” he said, per the outlet.

Added Williams, “What I’m completely and utterly obsessed with is creating images and making funny things, if I’m creating images and funny things, I’m not thinking about me, because my brain is incredibly creative, and it can be creative about everything in the world that you panic or [are] scared about.”

He then recalled recently sitting on a plane thinking, “What if I can have telekinesis and my intrusive thoughts tell the plane to crash itself?”

“So that’s the kind of level of insanity that I’m dealing with. It’s best to train my brain to do something better than worrying about having supernatural powers and crashing a plane,” said Williams, according to the outlet.

According to Autism Speaks, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is “a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.”

In October 2025, Williams revealed that he has Tourette syndrome during an episode of Paul Whitehouse and Dr. Mine Conkbayir’s I’m ADHD! No You’re Not podcast.

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At the time, the “Angels” hitmaker opened up about the disorder and claimed his tics are “intrusive thoughts.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by rapid, repetitive and involuntary muscle movements or sounds (tics).

Per the Tourette Association of America, tics can range from mild to severe and, in some cases, they can be debilitating and lead to self-injuries. According to the organization, the frequency and severity of tics also change regularly and can vary due to factors like stress, anxiety, excitement, fatigue, illness and more.

“I’ve just realised that I have Tourette’s, but they don’t come out,” Williams said at the time. “They are intrusive thoughts that happen.”

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He added, “I was just walking down the road the other day and I realized that these intrusive thoughts are inside Tourette’s. Not only that, you would think that a stadium full of people professing their love to you would work [as a distraction], but whatever it is, inside me, cannot hear it. I cannot take it in.”

At the time, Williams shared that he thought he had autism, but an online test told him otherwise.

“It turns out I’m not [autistic], but I’ve got autistic traits. And it’s around, social stuff, it’s about interaction,” he said.

Williams noted that a diagnosis would help him with an “understanding of why I feel so uncomfortable in my skin.”

“When I’m in bed, that’s my comfort zone. Anywhere outside of that bed is my discomfort zone,” he said. “It’s getting better. It was awful, horrendous through my 20s, bad through my 30s, my 40s started to get better, and I’m on an upward curve, but I’m still uncomfortable in my skin.”

He continued, “Much like I have sought out medication to fix it, I’m constantly still looking for the reason and the whys.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”