Pop icon Robbie Williams has revealed that he was recently diagnosed with scurvy – a condition commonly associated with 17th-century sailors – after experiencing rapid weight loss due to taking an appetite suppressant similar to the drug Ozempic.
The 51-year-old former Take That star explained that he shed two stone while using the medication, which is similar in effect to Ozempic, a drug originally prescribed for type 2 diabetes but now widely known for its association with celebrity weight loss trends.
In an interview with The Mirror, Williams said the weight loss came at a high cost: “I’d stopped eating and I wasn’t getting nutrients,” he explained. “That’s how I ended up with scurvy – an actual pirate disease from the 1600s. I was completely malnourished.”
Scurvy is caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin C and was once common among sailors who had no access to fresh fruit or vegetables during long sea voyages. The diagnosis is now extremely rare in developed countries and shocked even Williams himself.
The Angels singer said that his long-running battle with body dysmorphia contributed to the problem. “With body dysmorphia, when people say they’re worried about how you’re looking, you’re like: ‘I’ve achieved it.’ When they say, ‘You’re too thin,’ I hear: ‘Jackpot. I’ve reached the promised land.’”
Williams, known for his candidness about his struggles with mental health, first spoke about using an Ozempic-like drug in late 2023 during an interview with The Times. “Babe, I’m on Ozempic – well, something like Ozempic,” he said at the time. “It’s like a Christmas miracle. I’ve gone from 13st 13lb to 12st 1lb.”
However, the physical change also had a significant psychological impact. “And I need it, medically,” he added. “I’ve been diagnosed with type 2 self-loathing. It’s shockingly catastrophic to my mental health to be bigger.”
In a striking admission, he said his inner critic is relentlessly cruel: “My inner voice talks to me like Katie Hopkins talks about fat people. It’s maddening.”
The year 2025 has also seen a resurgence in emotional difficulties for Williams. He shared that he suffered his first major depressive episode in over a decade, explaining that he had hoped he had moved beyond that stage in his life.
“The year started with some ill mental health, which I haven’t had for a very, very long time,” he told The Mirror. “I was sad, I was anxious, I was depressed. It’s been about ten years since I felt like that… I thought I was at the other end of the arc.”
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The singer’s health revelations come against a backdrop of personal family challenges as well. In 2024, he confirmed that his mother, Janet, had been diagnosed with dementia, four years after his father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Williams, who has enjoyed a decades-long career in the spotlight, has often used his platform to speak openly about his struggles with addiction, body image, and mental health, helping to remove stigma around these issues.
Despite the rocky start to the year, the singer remains hopeful. “It’s a work in progress,” he said. “But I’m learning more about myself every day. Health – physical and mental – is everything.”
His honest account serves as a cautionary tale amid the growing popularity of quick-fix weight loss drugs and the often unseen toll they can take on both body and mind.
