Robbie Williams hits out at ex-Take That manager over drug use claims in boyband documentary

nme.com:

Robbie Williams has written an open letter to Take That’s ex-manager Nigel Martin-Smith objecting to claims Martin-Smith made about his drug addiction in a new documentary.Both appeared in the first episode of three-part BBC documentary Boybands Forever, which aired yesterday (November 16) and focused on the struggles members of Take That, Westlife and Five dealt with at the height of their popularity.Martin-Smith managed Take That in the 1990s while Williams was still part of the band, before he quit in 1995 and went on to build a successful solo career.He said that when Williams became addicted to drugs, he was “smart and quite clever” to blame his drug taking on being “in this band where he couldn’t have girlfriends or couldn’t go out”.

At one point, he said Williams acted like a “wanker” and that he was made out to be “evil”Williams has now hit back at Martin-Smith’s claims in an extended post on Instagram.“Hope all is good in your world and life is being kind to you,” he began. “Just thought I’d jot down a few thoughts about our appearance together as talking heads on the boyband doc.“I was equal parts terrified and excited to be sharing a screen with you again.

Excited to see where we both are on this journey and terrified in case old emotions would be triggered and I’d still be in a place of anger, hurt of fear.“As it happens, it would appear that time has done its thing and I guess the wisdom it brings has taken its mop to a few nooks and crannies here and there.

I guess not every nook has been bleached, though.”On the subjects of Martin-Smith’s comments about his drug taking, Williams wrote: “Allow me to respond to your assertion.