Robbie Williams reveals autism diagnosis

Singer Robbie Williams has revealed he has been diagnosed with autism, describing the discovery as a relief that explains much about his behavior. The 52-year-old pop star, who has previously spoken about living with ADHD, shared the news during a question-and-answer session at the autumn/winter launch for his clothing brand, Hopeium, in London.

Williams told the audience he now views the diagnosis as a "get out of jail free card" for his quirks. "I have ADHD and I just found out I have a bit of autism as well, which I actually f love because it explains so much," he said. "It is my get out of jail free card now, and all the weird s that I do I just say, 'Sorry, I'm autistic.'"

The former Take That member explained how the two conditions interact, noting that with ADHD he can concentrate intensely on one thing but struggles with everything else. He illustrated the impact of intrusive thoughts, a symptom he has discussed before, by sharing a recent experience. "Recently, I was sitting on a plane, and I thought, 'What if I can have telekinesis and my intrusive thoughts tell the plane to crash itself,'" he said. "So that's the kind of level of insanity that I'm dealing with. It's...