Pop star Robbie Williams almost died after an addiction to prescription drugs he took to battle a deep depression spiralled out of control.
The Angels hitmaker spent three years fighting an addiction to painkillers and anti-depressants before checking into the Meadows rehab centre in Arizona on his 33rd birthday in 2007, realising he would die if he didn't get professional help.
He recalls, "It was damn serious. Robbie Williams does not go into rehab just if his life gets a bit out of control. Death had to knock on my door to help me with my decision."
The singer became heavily depressed during his wild days as a member of U.K. boyband Take That and turned to prescription medication to help him beat his reliance on alcohol and cocaine - but the pills proved to be just as dangerous.
His former manager Kevin Kinsella explains, "Drugs came very close to destroying the Robbie we all know and love. And there were three occasions when he nearly died. He was so out of it. At the height of his drug-taking he was doing an ounce of coke a day. That's no exaggeration. He was out of control."
The singer credits girlfriend Ayda Fields with turning his life around - but he admits he still lives in fear of relapsing: "I'm aware I have a self-destructive character. But does this hold me back from being happy? No."