Robbie Williams has set the record straight after a viral moment from the FIFA World Cup final sparked a wave of online speculation.
The British pop star became the subject of social media chatter following Germany’s Magenta TV broadcast after Sunday’s final, when a small white substance appeared to fall out of his mouth and onto his microphone during a live interview.
The clip quickly spread online, with some viewers suggesting the object was cocaine.
Williams, who performed the official FIFA anthem “Desire” alongside Nicole Scherzinger and Laura Pausini as part of the tournament’s closing ceremony, wasted little time addressing the rumours.
Posting a tongue-in-cheek video to Instagram, the singer joked: “I’d just like to apologise for the object that fell onto the microphone yesterday. It was deeply unprofessional, and people worried about me. But it’s okay because I had several more…,” before opening his mouth to reveal two white mints resting on his tongue.
As it seems, the mystery substance was simply a mint that had slipped out during the interview. The post was captioned: “Just woke up and feeling… Mint.”
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The speculation struck a nerve for some fans given Williams’ well-documented history with addiction.
The singer has been open for years about his struggles with alcohol and drugs before getting sober more than two decades ago, and has spoken candidly about his recovery in interviews, documentaries, and on stages across the world.
“Everybody knew I was in trouble, but they didn’t care, I’d gone past the point of no return,” he reflected in a Take That documentary, out earlier this year. “My life had spiralled out of control so severely that my manager understood what needed to happen, I needed to be carted off to rehab.”
Williams will soon be hitting our shores with a massive Australia and New Zealand stadium run, in support of his latest and 13th studio album, Britpop. His tour will stop in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle (Williams’ first ever show in the city), Brisbane, Auckland and Christchurch – his first performance there in 25 years.
He’ll be joined in Australia by G Flip, fresh from their sold-out Dream Ride tour earlier this year. In New Zealand, he’ll be supported by four-piece Drax Project. Powerhouse UK outfit The Lottery Winners will also perform across both countries. They recently supported Williams on his European tour, and have multiple chart-topping albums under their belt.
