Lee Ryan ‘couldn’t watch’ Robbie Williams documentary as it was ‘like looking at myself’-Meghna Amin-Entertainment – Metro

Lee Ryan has revealed he had to turn off Robbie Williams’ Netflix documentary, because he could relate to it too much.

The Take That singer, 50, as the subject of a biopic released last year, which followed his rise to fame as well as some of the scandals he was embroiled in along the way, including struggles with alcoholism and substance abuse, of which he has always been open about.

The emotional video shared intimate, never-before-seen personal archival footage, as well as interview clips and Robbie opening up about his mental health struggles.

Blue singer Lee, 40, has also been open about his struggles with alcohol, and has in the past admitted to drinking a bottle of whiskey a day to ‘numb the pain’.

In a 2019 interview, he revealed that he still has a hard time battling his addiction ‘now and again’, and, having fought his way out of depression, said: ‘Those days are completely behind me now, where I’d use anything to forget. If anything, now I have a couple of beers to relax and be social but there was points where I wouldn’t drink socially, I would drink inwardly and the bottle was my friend.’

Lee has now seemingly addressed those struggles, saying how difficult it was to watch Robbie’s Netflix documentary in which he spoke about going through similar issues.

On Friday’s Good Morning Britain, alongside Duncan James, Antony Costa and Simon Webbe, Lee shared how the band have been there for him when probed on his ‘wild moments’.

Lee Ryan said he’s ‘been through a lot’ (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

In his Netflix biopic, Robbie spoke about his struggles with alcoholism and substance abuse (Picture: Getty)

‘It’s not just me, look at Robbie Williams, I watched the Robbie Williams documentary and I had to turn it off,’ he went on.

‘It was so relatable, what he went through, I was like, oh my god, it was like looking at myself a little bit.’

He added: ‘I’ve been through a lot and these boys have always stuck by me.’

Talking about the friendship and love between the band and how they so rarely argue, Lee quipped that he annoys himself the most.

Lee previously wrote about his battles with alcohol in the band’s book All Rise, after struggling with addiction following his stint on Celebrity Big Brother.

He wrote: ‘If I had to quantify it, I could safely say at that point in my life, I was drinking around a bottle of whisky a night.

‘It was all going in the wrong direction as they say, and I’d had warnings from my doctor, but if I’m honest I wasn’t paying them any heed because I wanted to get properly lost.’

Lee has now returned to tour with his bandmates after his sentencing for racially aggravated assault against a Black British Airways flight attendant earlier this year.

Lee’s bandmates have been there to support him (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

A judge handed the All Rise singer a 12-month suspended prison sentence in January after he was arrested following the incident in July 2022.

Lee was found guilty in a trial in January, having drunkenly told a Black cabin crew member, ‘I want your chocolate children,’ before trying to give her a kiss and grabbing her by the wrists. He later denied that he is racist.

Last year, Lee opened up about his autism and ADHD diagnosis, which he recently said was ‘a lot’ for him to ‘work through’.

‘I’ve struggled with various things since I was a child, but these things weren’t really known about back then or spoken about,’ he said.

‘What it means for me is that I have a high IQ but my brain works in a different way to others.’

Lee has previously spoken about his alcoholism and recently opened up about his autism and ADHD diagnosis (Picture: Getty/Dominic Lipinski)

Lee added: ‘For all the kids and adults out there who are going through the same thing, there’s nothing wrong with you. You might be very clever, highly creative – have highs and lows, but you might deal with social situations differently from others.

‘You might react differently, particularly to sounds, sights, smells and even touch. People might think you’re being rude, difficult or chaotic.

‘This is going to sound a bit weird but I’ve always hated the wind, the way it feels on my skin when it hits you. I’m particularly sensitive to touch, so when someone does that and I’m in a stressful situation then I might react quickly.’

The singer said there is now ‘so much I’m learning about myself’ and ‘a lot is starting to make sense.’

He signed off: ‘In a world of chaos, be kind and I’ll see you soon.’

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1.

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