Neil 'Razor' Ruddock claims he's the reason Robbie Williams left Take That

Neil “Razor” Ruddock has claimed he is the cause of Robbie Williams quitting Take That – after the former footballer kidnapped him to come and party.

Williams quit the boyband in 1995, leading to its break-up a year later and millions of heartbroken teenage fans around the world.

Now former England footballer Ruddock, 52, is taking credit, confessing he and his Liverpool teammates “kidnapped” Williams so he could join them partying in Marbella, missing a recording session with Gary Barlow and his other bandmates.

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Ruddock revealed in his autobiography The World According To Razor: “One of us gave him a call and, instead of biting our hands off, he tried to blow us out.

“‘B******s to that,’ I said to the lads. ‘Let’s kidnap the f***er.’

"We turned up at his place a few hours before the flight, grabbed his passport, packed him a few clothes and then forced him on to the minibus.”

The former I’m A Celebrity contestant added: “If it wasn’t for me he might never have got the sack and if he hadn’t been sacked we’d never have had Angels, Let Me Entertain You and everything else the talented sod’s done since.

“In fact, he would have nothing if it weren’t for me getting him the sack. So, I invented Robbie Williams.”

Read more: Neil Ruddock 'died for a minute' during emergency heart operation

Williams was given an ultimatum by his Take That bandmates – Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald – in 1995 over his drink and drug use and ended up quitting the band.

The Rock DJ singer is now 20 years sober.

In 2010 he reunited with Take That for the Progress European tour.

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