Robbie Williams takes up colouring to help him quit smoking and tackle panic attacks

'Art is good for my mind'

Robbie Williams has revealed he has started using colouring books to help beat his addiction to cigarettes.

During an Instagram Live video, the singer told fans he’s taken up the hobby as it helps him with his concentration.

“‘I’m just doing some colouring in, which is good because I’ve got something to concentrate on,” he said.

“Art is good for my mind. Anyone who is giving up smoking with me, keep on. The struggle is real.”

Williams added that colouring – which is known to have therapeutic mental health benefits – has also helped him overcome panic attacks.

“I’ve been all right all week, it’s been sort of six out of 10 difficult and then in the last hour and a half I’ve just collapsed, panic attacks, overwhelmed,” he said in the Instagram Live.

“I’ve had to get out of the house just to calm down a little.”

The ex-Take That member first quit smoking in 2012, when his wife Ayda Field gave birth to their eldest daughter Theodora, but started again in 2016.

Now, Williams has revealed he wants to kick the habit permanently, telling fans live on stage last year: “On 1 January I’m going to stop smoking, does anyone want to join me?

“But I’m really scared about putting weight on. I’m terrified in fact about that, but staying alive for my children will be worth the weight gain . . . he said, lying to himself.”

The singer started colouring during a recent Instagram live (Instagram: @robbiewilliams)

To prevent weight gain, the singer revealed that he is now an ambassador for WW – formerly known as Weight Watchers – because he felt it was the only thing that “fit with his life”.

Speaking about why he decided to join WW, Williams said: “After my back injury last year, I definitely let my healthy habits slip and I felt as though I let myself and my family down.

“I can’t keep trying the same things and hoping for a different outcome. I trust the history of behaviour science that WW has, and I’m proud to be a new ambassador. Hopefully, others will benefit from my experience.”