Robbie Williams' UK prison

Jan 27, 2009, 4:00 GMT

Robbie Williams fled the UK because it felt like "Alcatraz".

The British singer's sister Sally Symonds has revealed he decided to move to Los Angeles five years ago because struggled to cope with the pressures of fame and felt like a prisoner in his own home.

She said: "Last time he lived in England he was so high-profile he couldn't get any peace. He was living in London and resorted to buying a flat on the 15th floor. It was like Alcatraz."

Alcatraz was a prison located in the middle of California's San Francisco Bay which was infamously difficult to break out of.

Sally has confirmed her superstar brother is moving back to Britain to be closer to his family, but insisted he will return to Los Angeles if he receives too much attention.

She said: "This time he hopes he can get some kind of private life. I'm not sure the house will be private enough but if he feels pressured he'll be straight back on a plane. When you have an addictive nature, you need to nurture yourself. You have to put yourself in safe places. If you're stressed, it's easy to fall off. My hope is he can keep himself together."

Sally added Robbie's desire to return home has shaped his latest album - which he is currently completing.

She added to Britain's Hello! magazine: "It's his best album yet. It's really good pop. It's inspired by his life and relationship, and his yearning to move back to England. It's quite upbeat. He's happy because he's had a positive response from the industry."

Sally remained tight-lipped on the possibility of Robbie rejoining his former Take That bandmates - Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Jason Orange - for a show, claiming she was just happy they were back on speaking terms.

She said: "It wouldn't surprise me if there's something in the pipeline. It's nice he's got a relationship with them. They were so young and now they're older."