Huge pop star unrecognisable in rarely seen childhood snap

With his wide grin, rosy cheeks and signature 70s bowl cut, the cute kid in this rarely seen childhood photo is almost impossible to recognise today. But despite humble beginnings, he would grow up to become one of Britain’s biggest pop stars — loved by the nation for his charisma, chaos, and cheeky charm.

Born Robert Peter Williams in 1974, the future star spent his early years in Burslem, a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent.Recognise his cheeky grin yet? Yes, it’s none other than Robbie Williams - many years pre-Take That fame.

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He may have been all smiles for the camera, but Robbie’s upbringing was far from easy. In a 2022 podcast, he described his childhood as one of “absolute poverty,” while praising Jan for doing everything she could to give him and Sally the best start — from running a coffee shop to a florist. That resilience left a deep impression. “My mum is the pillar of strength that has kept me sane throughout my mad life,” he’s said.

Robbie’s parents, Peter and Jan, divorced when he was just three, and he remained with his mum and half-sister Sally. “What she managed to do by herself as a single parent raising two kids was nothing short of miraculous,” he later said. Though he would go on to achieve global fame, the singer never forgot his roots. “I love where I’m from. I love my people, I love my tribe, I love the sense of humour.”

As a young boy, Robbie dreamed of playing for his beloved Port Vale Football Club, though he admitted he was “never good enough to be a pro.” At school, he struggled too: Failing most of his GCSEs, he later discovered he is neurodivergent, with dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia. “I just thought I was dumb,” he said.But instead of letting it hold him back, he used it to propel him even further, “It was the most important bit of fuel I ever got.”

It was on stage, not in the classroom, that he first found a sense of value - starring in school plays like Oliver! and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. “I remember the overwhelming feeling of euphoria when I got an ovation. It blew my mind to be valued for something.”

That love of performance ran in the family. His father, Pete Conway, was a comic and singer who regularly performed with Robbie on tour.“My dad was, and is, my hero,” he once said. “I wanted to be him, sing like him, tell jokes like him.” The pair toured together for over a decade, until Pete’s Parkinson’s diagnosis made it too difficult. “He won’t be able to do it with me anymore and that saddens me.”

But Robbie’s big break came at age 16, when a letter from Jan led to an audition for a boyband. After a lacklustre performance, he left the room - but before making his exit, he shot manager Nigel Martin-Smith a cheeky wink. “So if it wasn’t for that wink, none of this would exist,” he later said.

That wink earned him a spot in Take That… and the rest is history.

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