Robbie Williams reveals his mum has dementia and dad 'can't get out of bed'

Robbie Williams has confirmed his mother Janet is battling dementia. The devastating news comes just four years after he revealed his dad, entertainer Pete Conway, had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The 50-year-old, who grew up in Tunstall, opened up about his family's health battles while discussing his heartfelt upcoming biopic, Better Man. The film features themes of familial love and loss, and touches on his relationship with his late grandmother who also has dementia.

Speaking to Hello! magazine about his current circumstances, he explained: "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."

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When Robbie was born at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in 1974, Pete and Jan, were living in a three-bedroom Edwardian semi in Victoria Park Road, Tunstall, overlooking Tunstall Park, with Jan’s daughter Sally.

When he was aged two, Pete and Jan took over the Red Lion pub in Burslem, near Vale Park. But after his parents separated when he was three, Rob lived with Jan and Sally in Greenbank Road, Tunstall, and spent school holidays with Pete at holiday camps where he was working as a comedian. Rob used to watch his father perform and pay attention to what the audience responded to – occasionally taking to the stage himself.

Port Vale fan Robbie reflected on the power of music and storytelling in his life, elaborating how they serve as a medium for healing past wounds.

The dad-of-four added: "We're all survivors of childhood trauma, and you spend the second 20 years of your life, sorting out the first 20 years. Why did I want to feel real love? And all of my songs are autobiographical, so I guess it's all about processing the events that happened when I was younger and the events that still carry on.

"So it would make sense that it would be cinematic in some way, because I spoke the story, I sang the story. And I know that this will touch a lot of people."

Robbie has also been lending a hand to support relatives grappling with their health. In May 2020, Robbie shared how he had been struggling to cope during lockdown with his wife Ayda Field.

The loving couple dealt with a number of family problems through the pandemic following Ayda's mother Gwen struggles with Parkinson's and Lupus.

Discussing his father's diagnosis in 2020, Robbie said: "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 and thousands of miles away. 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. We have a brand new baby Beau, four children in total."

Pete shot to fame on TV talent show New Faces in the 1970s and went on to become a familiar face on the UK cabaret circuit. He was born Peter Williams, in Tunstall, but later changed his name when he broke into showbusiness.

Speaking in 2020, former policeman Pete - who used to run the Red Lion - revealed he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's three years earlier. He said: “A lot of people close to me didn’t even know I had it. To be honest, I knew it was coming on. It was just one of those things.

“The symptoms come and go, it’s just a bit of a nuisance more than anything. Rob mentioned it in an interview last week, but I’ve had it for a long time and I’m just carrying on as normal. It’s not a secret and it was going to come out at some point - I just put up with it really.”

He said he’d been speaking to Robbie on the phone most mornings during the lockdown. He said: “Robbie rings me just before he goes to bed when I’m just getting up, because of the time difference. I miss the whole family and it’s the first thing I’ll do when lockdown is over."

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