Robbie Williams reveals Elton John actually forced him to go to rehab

Robbie Williams has praised Sir Elton John for helping him get sober.

The Angels hitmaker has been teetotal for 19 years since his old friend - who tackled his own addictions almost 30 years ago - persuaded him to go to rehab and he'll always be thankful for the Rocketman singer's support.

He said: "Elton is the most loving, generous man you could imagine and he has helped so many people over the years.

"It was a big moment being in Elton John's kitchen sobering up over some carrots thinking 'How am I going to get myself out of this mess?"

Robbie - who has Teddy, seven, Charlie, five, and Coco, 14 months, with wife Ayda Field - recalled how Elton took action when he turned up to see the 'Candle in the Wind' star and was very drunk.

He told talk show host Jonathan Ross: "He really tried to help. In the early days when I was first getting sober, there was a week until I had to go to Rehab and I had two vocals to do on my first album, one of them was Angels and one of them was Let Me Entertain You.

"I was going to do these vocals then go to rehab. Elton invited me to his house to listen to the work that I'd done so far.

"That morning I got in a black cab and I had this game that I used to play where I'd stop at every pub I saw and have half a pint.

"I'd had ten half pints before I'd got to the studio. I ended up under the mixing desk, had a bit of red wine and then I knew I had to get to Elton's for three o'clock."

When he arrived at Elton's house, the former Take That star was covered in food and red wine stains, prompting his host to insist he took immediate action.

Robbie recalled telling him: "I can't go to rehab now, I'm going next week."

He added: "He said, 'No you've got to go to rehab now" and I said, "I've got to go to rehab now' and this kept going back and forth at the door.' "

Elton eventually took Robbie to his house in Windsor while he and husband David Furnish made arrangements for him to go to rehab.

Robbie said: "I wake up but I haven't opened my eyes and there's a knock on my shoulder and I look and there's... Elton and David Furnish and a doctor and a psychiatrist and they are here to take me away.'

"I'm like, 'I don't think I'm getting out of this.' I was going to use my charm."

The Candy hitmaker admitted being sober was a struggle at first but now he loves the simple family life he leads.

He said: "At the beginning, you are thinking, 'How am I going to get through day one?" and then 'How am I going to get through week one?

"I was with the kids last week and they were doing riding and I just had this moment where I was just looking at the kids on the horses and I just thought, 'I'd have never imagined that I could feel this content and this happy'.

"It's nice when you realise how far you've come and who you are now as opposed to the person you were and all those thoughts and fears about losing yourself and becoming a non-person are really untrue. It was just a beautiful moment."

- Bang! Showbiz