How did Robbie Williams and Ayda Field meet and why did they ever break up? A full relationship timeline

Here's what you need to know about Robbie Williams and Ayda Field's relationship timeline...

The new Netflix documentary, Robbie Williams, has surprised fans as the singer and his wife, Ayda Field relived some of the most difficult times in their relationship and examined the former Take That singer's problems with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Following the documentary some want to know more about how the couple met and why they decided to call it quits many years ago. Here's what you need to know about Robbie Williams and Ayda Field's relationship timeline.

2006 - Ayda and Robbie meet

In 2006 the couple first met at a party after they worked together on a UFO documentary that Robbie was producing for Radio 4. In Robbie's memoir, Reveal, he spoke about their first date - when he famously stood her up.

"I googled her, she was obviously very attractive. But I was also doing a lot of pills that were making me antisocial. So we had plans but I flaked," he said. "I left her a message days, weeks, later, and it made her laugh. We made plans to meet. But I wasn’t leaving my house, so she had to meet me there, which freaked her out a bit."

When she did arrive, Robbie was not in a good way. In the documentary the singer revealed, "I’d just seen off my dealer who I was sleeping with at the time." 

Ayda recalled, "The house was completely f**king dark, no candles, no light. I was like, 'This is weird,' so we were sitting talking, we had nothing in common." She said they then headed to a party and connected on the car ride there. "Maybe because we both surrendered to the fact that we were not each other’s person and this was a total mess," said Ayda. "We just were like completely loose with each other. We were saying funny sh*t in the car and I was like, 'Oh he is funny'... We were laughing. I cannot even tell you what happened. It was like the universe opened up."

Reveal by Chris Heath, £4.99 | Amazon

Robbie Williams's tell-all biography about his life following his groundbreaking memoir, Feel.

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2007 - Ayda and Robbie break up

In 2007, Robbie struggled with his addictions and ended up needing to go to rehab, he decided to break up with Ayda before he was admitted. 

Ayda spoke about the phone call she received as he broke up with her on the call. "I remember it was 2am and I called him and I was like, 'I am just getting on the highway' and he's like, 'Are you driving? Call me when you get home.' "And he is like, 'I can't be in a relationship, I have to get better and I can't be with you. I have to break up with you,'" she said. "And it was like, I understood it because I saw that he was unwell and I remember thinking, 'I just want you to get better.'" 

She added that even though they weren't long into their relationship she knew then that he was her 'soulmate' and she was 'so crestfallen'. 

Luckily, the couple soon got back together and were engaged just a couple of years later.

2009 - Robbie proposes 

During the Christmas festive season of 2009, Robbie proposed to Ayda. He revealed on Instagram in 2018 how he proposed to his now wife.

The singer revealed, "Every time I used to think of Ayda and pull a card from a deck it would always be a queen, so I took her to the place I first laid my eyes on her and gave her four queens. Each card said one word each. Will... You... Marry... Me?"

2010 - The couple get married

In 2010 the couple tied the knot in Los Angeles and sold the rights to their images to Hello! In a chat with the magazine, Robbie said of the celebrations, "Ayda looked like the most beautiful girl in the world. The setting was so magical, and to be surrounded by family and close friends and then see Ayda appear looking so radiant was almost too much for me to take… I'm the happiest man alive".

2012 - The couple has their first child Theodora 'Teddy' Rose Williams

In 2012 the couple had their first daughter, Teddy. Today, their daughter is 11 years old but is rarely seen in public. However, in 2018, the youngster was a bridesmaid at Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's wedding in Windsor, alongside Princess Charlotte and Prince George. Teddy was just 6 at the time and looked adorable as she took on this important role.

2014 - Charlton 'Charlie' Valentine Williams is born

The couple's first son was born in 2014 and his birth was announced on YouTube by Robbie. The video showed Ayda pushing Robbie in a wheelchair as he held Charlie. "Charlton Valentine Williams has left the building…" was the caption of this cheeky post announcing their son's birth.

2018 - Colette 'Coco' Josephine Williams is born

Unlike their first two children, their third child Coco was born via surrogate. Coco's birth was announced on Instagram by Ayda with a caption that read,"So we have been keeping a very special secret! We are delighted to share with you that we have had a baby girl….welcome to the world Colette (Coco) Josephine Williams!! It has been a very long and difficult path to get here, which is why we have kept it on the down low."

She added, "Family comes in all forms, and this little lady, who is biologically ours, was carried by an incredible surrogate mother, to whom we will be eternally grateful."

2018 - The couple work together on The X Factor

In 2018, the couple went head to head as they both worked as judges on The X Factor. Ayda was tasked with leading the over 29's group and Robbie was in charge of the Boys for that season. However, both lost out to Louis Tomlinson whose act, Dalton Harris was declared the winner of the competition. 

2020 - Beau Benedict Enthoven Williams is born

Ayda announced on Valentine's Day 2020 that they had celebrated the birth of their fourth child, a son named Beau. The couple revealed that like his older sister, he too was born via surrogate. "On this Valentine's Day, we would like to celebrate love in the most awesome way," Ayda wrote on Instagram. "As with Coco, he is biologically ours, but born via our same incredible surrogate. We are so blessed to have our healthy son safely in our arms and are officially complete as a family."