Robbie Williams has checked himself into rehab to reportedly try to escape a spiral of caffeine and sleeping pill dependency, in addition to an addiction to antidepressants.

The Sun is reporting that the pop star is addicted to SSRI antidepressant Seroxat but also consumes over 50 highly caffeinated drinks a day (either strong double espressos or cans of Red Bull).

Robbie had previously told the newspaper: “I can’t honestly say that I don’t take too many prescription drugs. How many is too many? I don’t know. If you drink as much coffee as I do, you can easily get into the too-many-sleeping-tablets thing.”

According to his spokesperson, Robbie checked himself into rehab yesterday - believed to be the Meadows clinic in Arizona - on his 33rd birthday and his mum, Jan, described his move as “the best present he could give himself.”

“He’s a very public figure and all the media attention at the moment is added pressure on him.”

Jan, a drugs counsellor, has no immediate plans to visit her son at the clinic: “I am not going out to visit Robbie yet. Rehab is all about being on your own. But once he gets better I will be over there like a shot.”

His sister Sally added: “He’s very loved and treasured. He does have a vulnerable side, he’s very human. People tend to put him on a pedestal and he almost becomes public domain.”

“There’s a lot of pressure that goes with it. He has got all the vulnerability that everyone else has, along with a great talent.”