Robbie Williams news from day: 4. December, 2007

Robbie Williams is to issue an apology in court to former Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith over claims in a song that he stole money from the band.

The multi-millionaire pop star is also expected to pay damages and legal costs running into six figures. A hearing at the High Court on Wednesday will bring to an end a long-running feud between the two. Manchester music mogul Martin-Smith put Take That together and made them into one of the biggest-selling pop groups in history. But after Williams suddenly quit in 1995, Martin-Smith successfully sued him for breach of contract. Williams last year released the album Rudebox. One of the tracks, The 90s, claimed Martin-Smith ripped off Take That over tour payments and detailed how Williams fantasised about gouging out his eyes.

He was forced to re-record the song after Martin-Smith instigated legal proceedings shortly after the album’s release in October 2006. Read the rest…