Robbie Williams has revealed that his gag about bedding most of the Spice Girls upset David Beckham. The former Take That star has previously joked that he slept with four members of the pop group. But Robbie, who recently saw football legend Becks – the husband of Posh Spice Victoria – admitted that while he regretted the quip, he could not resist being “a cheeky chappy”. He said: “I used to say on stage, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I feel very fortunate. I’m one of the only people on the planet that’s been in Take That and four out of five of the Spice Girls’. It is a good line, but it upset all husbands and it’s not true. I’m sorry, but it’s still funny.”.
Robbie told SiriusXM he bumped into David in New York last month, and added: “I know he’s heard that line, and I know he wasn’t happy about it. It destroys a bit of my soccer-loving soul because I adore him. So for me to think that I’ve upset him or offended him in any way, I feel bad. But I’ve got to do my jokes.”. Dad-of-four Robbie is married to actress Ayda Field, but is understood to have had romances in the past with Spice Girls Mel B and Geri Horner. However, he added: “I dunno if dated is what I did.”.
The Spice Girls joke features in Robbie’s biopic, Better Man, but the singer insisted: “Michael Gracey [the director] made me keep it in. Out of respect to the girls, I’ve been trying to not say it.”. And while David may not be as forgiving, Robbie's wife Ayda stuck by the singer despite the big mistake at the beginning of their relationship and even as Robbie called quits on their relationship. The pair met in 2006 after being set up by friends – just hours earlier Robbie had slept with his drug dealer and she had given him a bag of drugs.
However, Ayda saw something in Robbie as she told the audience in his Robbie Williams Netflix documentary: "It was like the universe opened up". While Robbie added: "I had this moment where I felt as if I'd known her forever.". However, in the documentary which Robbie laid bare his struggles with fame and addiction, Robbie revealed the pair – who have been married since 2010 – briefly split up early into their romance. The four-part series, Robbie Williams, offered an in-depth look at the Rock DJ's star's life.
She explained that the former Take That star called her one morning shortly before his 33rd birthday admitting his team was sending him to rehab. With tears in her eyes, mum-of-four, Ayda, said: "It was my entry into addiction," as she remembered the first time she'd seen Robbie taking drugs. "You wouldn't notice his personality change but all of a sudden he would throw up watching TV," she said while Robbie admitted he thought he would be better off dead when his addiction problems worsened. "There was a sense of... It would be better if I passed away, I didn't care and it would be alright," he said. "For me to change I'd need to be dying, die or stop what you're doing.".
Going into more details about the heartbreaking phone call, Ayda said: "I remember it was 2am and I called him and I was like, 'I am just getting on the highway' and he's like, 'Are you driving? Call me when you get home.' "And he is like, 'I can't be in a relationship, I have to get better and I can't be with you. I have to break up with you.". Ayda continued: "And it was like, I understood it because I saw that he was unwell and I remember thinking, 'I just want you to get better.'" She also admitted she was "so crestfallen" adding: "He was my soulmate and then he was gone.".
