February 26, 1999 12:37

WILLIAMS' MILLIONS

High Court ruling orders him to stump up cash to former manager...

Robbie Williams owes former Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith an estimated '1 million after losing an appeal in the High Court in London yesterday.

WIlliams waived Take That royalities in 1997 to get out of his contract with their label BMG. But Robbie's contract with Martin-Smith entitled him to commission even on these waived royalties.

Williams claimed that Martin-Smith was in breach of his contract and had abandoned him. He also claimed that Gary Barlow and Jason Orange had hounded him out of Take That. But the three senior judges who heard the case said that the right result had been made in the 1997 cleared Martin-Smith of these allegations and ordered Williams to pay up immediately.

Martin-Smith - who was not in court - issued a statement that said: "Robbie has now had two attempts at trying to persuade a court of law that I acted badly towards him. He has now failed twice."

Robbie Williams was in America when the decision was made. Last night he scrapped adtes in Europe on doctor's orders; he is suffering from a "mystery virus" that he picked up while on tour in Sweden.