Robbie battles the bulge

Robbie Williams has battled drug and alcohol problems and now he's fighting a new addiction - chocolate.

Williams, who has recently started his Close Encounters tour, is worried about the effect his sweet tooth is having on his waist line.

The Angels star says: "I'll be honest - I'm doing this mad thing where I'm trying to fool myself into believing I'm not eating chocolate. About five o'clock every morning I wake up with this longing for sugar.

"I'll walk all the way down to the kitchen. So there I am in a soporific state pretending I'm not getting through a block of chocolate the size of Sussex."

To hide his weight, the former boy band member admits: "I'm more at home in tracksuit and trainers but there is something about a three-quarter length coat. You're thinking: 'Yeah people are staring, but act like you're ace and maybe they won't see the little fatty you saw back in your dressing room.'"