Robbie Williams smiled through the pain as he attended the premiere of his biopic Better Man on Wedneday after revealing his beloved mother Janet’s dementia diagnosis.
The singer, 50, was joined at the premiere in Leicester Square, London by his wife Ayda Field as the couple looked in good spirits while walking the red carpet together.
Robbie cut a dapper figure for the event as he sported a grey striped blazer with a silver embellishment on the shoulders and matching trousers.
Ayda, 45, cut a glamorous figure in a black figure-hugging dress and added height to her frame with a pair of heels.
Robbie’s ex-girlfriend Nicole Appleton was also in attendance at the premiere and looked incredible in a red short-sleeved dress with a high collar.
Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, the All Saints star completed her look with a red clutch bag.
Robbie Williams smiled through the pain as he attended the premiere of his biopic Better Man on Wedneday after revealing his beloved mother Janet’s dementia diagnosis (pictured with wife Ayda Field)
Robbie was also supported at the Leicester Square premiere by his ex-girlfriend Nicole Appleton (left) and former This Morning host Holly Willoughby (right)
Holly Willoughby turned heads at the screening and posed on the red carpet in a black mini dress with a plunging sweetheart neckline.
The former This Morning host, 43, boosted her frame with black heels and accessorised with a matching clutch bag.
Also among those in attendance was Nicola Roberts who wrapped up warm in a plaid jacket with a black faux fur collar and black trousers.
Lisa Snowdon put on a leggy display in a pair of black leather thigh-high boots which she wore with a black blazer and matching top.
Vicky McClure opted for a black leather jacket which she wore over a matching corset top and trousers along with a pair of black boots.
Laura Whitmore donned a black long-sleeved mini dress which she paired with thigh-high leather boots and a pink and black handbag.
Andy Serkis looked dapper in a black suit and a dark blue patterned shirt as he attended the premiere alongside his wife Lorraine Ashbourne.
Nicole Appleton’s sister Natalie opted for a more casual look than her sibling as she sported a white shirt and navy and white striped trousers.
The singer, 50, was joined at the premiere in Leicester Square, London by his wife Ayda Field as the couple looked in good spirits while walking the red carpet together
Robbie cut a dapper figure for the event as he sported a grey striped blazer with a silver embellishment on the shoulders and matching trousers
Ayda, 45, cut a glamorous figure in a black figure-hugging dress and added height to her frame with a pair of heels
Robbie revealed his mother Janet has been diagosed with dementia. The diagnosis comes four years after the singer revealed his dad Pete had Parkinson’s (pictured together in 2019)
Robbie and Nicole Appleton (pictured together) dated in the nineties and she is featured in the Better Man film where she is played by Raechelle Banno
Robbie and Nicole dated in the nineties and she is featured in the Better Man film where she is played by Raechelle Banno.
Nicole revealed her side of their relationship and breakup in her 2002 autobiography Together, writing how she fell pregnant with Robbie’s baby but after pressure from All Saints’ record company she had an abortion.
Recalling Robbie’s reaction to her pregnancy at the time, she said: ‘Robbie Williams put his hand on my belly and told me, “This baby is saving my life.'”‘
Robbie backed his ex’s decision to write about the abortion in her autobiography but later admitted reliving it had ‘torn him apart’.
‘I was completely behind her… If there’s something that’s so deep-rooted within yourself that you feel it would feel better to you that you exorcised it and got it off your chest, because secrets can make you sick and secrets can make you feel terrible… then I’m completely behind her,’ he previously told the Daily Mail.
Robbie’s mother Janet’s dementha diagnosis comes four years after the singer revealed his dad Pete had Parkinson’s.
When asked about his parents thoughts on the film, Robbie told HELLO! ‘My mum’s currently got dementia – like my nan in the film – and my dad’s got Parkinsons and can’t get out of bed. So I’m in a different part of my life right now.’
Nicola Roberts wrapped up in a plaid jacket with a black faux fur lining and paired it withn black trousers
Andy Serkis looked dapper in a black suit and a dark blue patterned shirt as he attended the premiere alongside his wife Lorraine Ashbourne
Laura Whitmore donned a black long-sleeved mini dress which she paired with thigh-high leather boots and a pink and black handbag
Lisa Snowdon put on a leggy display in a pair of black leather thigh-high boots which she wore with a black blazer and matching top
This Morning regular Lisa was joined at the premiere by her fiancé George Smart who sported a grey jacket with dark jeans
Natalie Appleton sported a white shirt and navy and white striped trousers while Vicky McClure went for an all-black look
Ellie Goulding was also in attendance, as she sported a striking mesh cut out gown
McFly’s Tom Fletcher opted for a black suit and grey shirt while his bandmate Harry Judd wore a navy suit with a white T-shirt
Back in 2020 Robbie revealed his father Pete had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, admitting at the time that he was fighting ‘fear and panic’ over his father’s diagnosis.
He told The Mirror that receiving the diagnosis during Covid made things extra difficult as he and his wife Ayda and their children were self-isolating thousands of miles away from his parents in Los Angeles
‘We’ve got a lot of family issues right now. My dad has got Parkinson’s, my mother-in-law who I love dearly has got a very big illness. We can’t get to them. My dad is thousands of miles away.’
Robbie added of his mum at the time: ‘My mum is just a year short of 80 and she’s in isolation and I can see the things whirling in her mind and her eyes going.’
The former Take That star has been joined by his father Pete, who is also a singer, many times on stage.
Robbie’s parents split in 1977. The pair also share daughter Sally, who is 11 years Robbie’s senior.
Robbie was also joined at the premiere by Carter J Murphy (centre) and Jonno Davies (right) who both play versions of him in the film
Robbie was also joined by Raechelle Banno (left) who plays his ex-girlfriend Nicole Appleton in the film
The premiere was a rare public outing for Holly who has mostly taken a step back from the limelight since she left This Morning last year
Emma Willis looked in good spirits as she attended the premiere alongside her husband Matt
Olly Murs looked dapper in a black suit with a white beaded embellishment while Tom Grennan sported a velvet suit with a black turtle neck top
Robbie had a heartwarming moment with young actor Carter J Murphy on the red carpet
The pop star previously shared his worry for both of his parents during an interview with The Sun, sharing: ‘They’re of that age that is very vulnerable to what is going on, so I am speaking to them on the phone daily.’
Robbie and his wife Ayda, 45, have a lot to contend with as Ayda also recently revealed that her mother Gwen’s cervical cancer has returned, after previous battles with breast cancer and a Parkinson’s and Lupus diagnosis.
Speaking on her show Loose Women last month Ayda told her co-stars ‘this is a really tough thing for me to talk about.
‘My mother – we don’t talk about stages in our house – and I say all of this after having discussed it with my mum that I was going to potentially discuss what she was going through.
‘My mother said, “I so want you to tell this story, I just want to make sure it’s positive. I am going to do my best and I am going to make this positive.”
‘My mother has unfortunately had a return of her cervical cancer. She is also a breast cancer survivor.’
Getting emotional, she explained: ‘So the cancer has come back and we got the news a couple of months ago and I’ve just been privately processing it.
‘But when we were talking about this today and it’s breast cancer awareness month, I realised I really always wanna be authentic when I’m here and authentic with my group of friends.
‘It felt like this was an appropriate time to talk about the battle behind closed doors in our house.’
Robbie aopeated as a CGI monkey in Better Man, which he has been working on since 2021
Robbie has been working on Better Man since 2021 – with the film set for release on December 26.
The singer is portrayed by actor Jonno Davies in the form of a CGI monkey in the film. While Jonno, takes on the role of younger Robbie, the singer is heard in the voiceover and later plays the older version of himself.
The official synopsis reads: ‘Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
‘Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (‘The Greatest Showman’), the film is uniquely told from Williams’ perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit.
‘It follows Robbie’s journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist – all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.’
