Robbie Williams has revealed his song Cursed is about having sex with his late girlfriend Paula Yates as he opens up about her life in the upcoming Channel 4 documentary.
The 49-year-old singer admitted in the candid new interview that while he “didn’t really sleep” with the TV host, he had “a massive crush on her.”
The life of journalist Paula, who died in 2000 at the age of 41 from an accidental heroin overdose, is the subject of the new two-part documentary.
The TV show features previously unreleased interviews with her recorded in 1998 and 1999, and also includes testimonies from her close friends, including Robbie.
In the film, the former Take That star admits: “I told everyone I slept with you. I thought you’d like it and wouldn’t deny it” is a reference to Paula.
Lyrics: Robbie Williams, 49, revealed his song Cursed is about having sex with his late girlfriend Paula Yates while voicing Paula (pictured in 2022) on upcoming Channel 4 documentary.
In love: The singer admitted that while he was “not really” infatuated with the TV presenter, he had a “massive” crush on her (Paula pictured in 1983)
Recalling his first meeting with Paula when she was interviewing his band, Robbie confessed, “I was like, ‘Don’t mind Jason [Orange]!”
In an interview with The Times, the documentary’s director, Charlie Russell, added: “She was a huge influence on him. He had a crush on her, but it quickly turned into a true friendship.
“He saw similarities in them. He felt lucky that the only difference was how it ended.
Robbie previously described “Cursed” in the insert from the album Escapology as: “A tribute to a friend of mine who passed away. “St. Peter is cheating/tell god he has a filthy angel” – that’s very sexy.
“I tried to rock it as much as possible to fit them and still be affectionate. I mourn their loss.”
Having a habit of stunning pop stars with her devastating sex appeal, Paula was the quintessential 1980s television icon.
On the music show The Tube, her co-host Jools Holland was reduced to playing the horrified straight man while amusedly creating anarchy. She even persuaded Sting to take off his pants on the air in 1985.
Later, on The Big Breakfast, she would interview stars on a bed in the studio.
Confession: In the film, the former ‘Take That’ star confesses: “I told everyone I slept with you. I thought you’d like it and wouldn’t deny it” is about Paula (pictured in 2022)
Series: The documentary will feature previously unaired interviews with Paula (pictured in 1991) about her life and testimonies from her friends
She fell head over heels in love with one of them, INXS singer Michael Hutchence, and their affair ended her marriage to Live Aid hero Bob Geldof — and Hutchence’s romance with supermodel Helena Christensen.
Drugs, scandals and lawsuits followed, and after Hutchence was found dead in a hotel room, Paula, overcome with grief, committed suicide with a “careless” heroin overdose. Her four-year-old daughter was alone with her. Paula was only 41.
Her story will soon be retold by Channel 4 in a landmark two-part documentary entitled Paula.
It will feature previously unaired interviews with Paula about her life, given in 1998 and 1999 – shortly before her death in 2000.
Executive Shaminder Nahal, dubbed Paula, “A whirlwind of wit, panache and charisma,” adding, “When you look at what she’s accomplished now, it feels like no one has ever equaled her as a TV host.”
Recalling his first meeting with Paula when she was interviewing his band, Robbie confessed, “I was like, ‘Don’t mind Jason [Orange]!” (Take That, pictured in 1993 LR Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Robbie and Gary Barlow)
Friends: In an interview with The Times, the documentary’s director, Charlie Russell, added: “She was a huge influence on him. He had a massive crush on her’ (Robbie in October 2022)
Born in 1959 in Colwyn Bay, Conwy, she was raised by a father she feared and a mother she feared losing. Her mother was Elaine Smith, a statuesque showgirl with the stage name Heller Toren, a 44-inch bust, and an awesome IQ of 160.
Her father was Jess ‘The Bishop’ Yates, an avuncular showbiz veteran who hosted ITV’s religious show Stars On Sunday.
The marriage was not a success, but Jess refused to divorce his wife. They split when Jess moved to Leeds where Stars on Sunday was being filmed and Heller moved to London where she wrote steamy novels and took lovers with her including singer Tom Jones.
In 1974, Jess lost his job after a scandal with a 16-year-old lover.
In her autobiography, Yates painted a disturbing picture of her childhood. She said her mother repeatedly abandoned her. “I used to go to bed not knowing if she would still be there in the morning…I would lie in front of the toilet if she went to the bathroom.”
Career: An Olympian flirt with a talent for making everyone feel special, Paula was the beating heart of the show The Tube (Paula pictured in 2000)
When Heller was gone, she remained in the care of her manic-depressive father, who locked her in an orange crate and practiced the organ for hours.
She said her dysfunctional upbringing left her unable to speak properly by the age of four, not potty trained until five, anorexic by the age of eight, had become sexually intimate with an Argentinian boy and tried heroin by the age of 12.
Her mother, from whom she was estranged, denounced the account as a bundle of lies. For one, she said Jess Yates doesn’t have an organ in her home, nor was young Paula ever locked in an orange box.
Instead, Heller claimed that Paula had always been adored, even spoiled, by her doting parents. “Fiction is always more interesting than truth,” she said.
One thing they did agree on, however, was that Paula Yates was highly intelligent and precocious.
By the age of 14 she was a regular on the London club scene and in 1976, at the age of 18, she set her sights on Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof, eight years her senior.
Life: By the age of 14 she was a regular on the London club scene and in 1976, at the age of 18, she set her sights on Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof, eight years her senior. Paula and Bob pictured in 1985