Badly Drawn Boy star Damon Gough has spoken out in support of Robbie Williams, blaming fame for the pop singer's current stay in rehab.

Williams was admitted to a clinic in the US on Tuesday, his 33rd birthday, to battle his dependency on prescription drugs.

And while some including Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher have little sympathy for Williams, Gough sympathises with the pressures that come with superstardom.

He says, "I empathise with what Robbie is going through. I've met him a few times and he seemed to be dealing with his level of fame. Everyone looks at someone like him and says, 'He's just a show-off and loves attention.' Talking about yourself incessantly in interviews, being onstage where you are the centre of attention, writing songs that are going to be scrutinised, being famous and being spotted in the street - it all makes you feel really strange.

"Fame - it's just a weird thing and it does psychologically affect you."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)