Rick Astley's Story: The Trauma That Forced Me On Stage (E373)

The High Performance Podcast

High Performance

Sports, Self-improvement, Mindset, Growth Mindset, Health & Fitness, Non-negotiables, Education, Life Lessons, High Performance

4.8 • 4.7K Ratings

🗓️ 6 October 2025

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

At the height of global stardom, Rick Astley made the decision to step away from fame. In this deeply honest conversation, he opens up about the anxiety and fear that came with constant travel, the unhealthy coping mechanisms it triggered, and why leaving the spotlight was the only way to reconnect with himself.

Rick reflects on the drive for financial security that fuelled his career, the realisation that fame is ultimately “a lovely nonsense,” and why the true reward has always been the joy of connecting with people through music, not public recognition. He also shares how therapy and emotional honesty helped him process those experiences and build a more authentic life.

This is a rare glimpse behind the curtain of fame, and a powerful reminder of what really matters when the noise fades.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	unlock your next dose of inspiration early on the high performance app.
0:04.0	Available now, Gary Brecker, the human biologist, helping people unlock their peak health
0:09.7	and performance.
0:12.2	It's bought every house.
0:13.9	It bought my mum's house.
0:15.2	If you cut me open like a stick of rock, it says never going to give you up in the middle.
0:19.5	That's just what it does.
0:20.5	My dad just lost it. He was getting ready to hit me again then. The next oldest brother,
0:24.5	he came out of said portercalling with a great big eight-inch bread knife. I'm most proud of our
0:29.8	daughter. Yeah, that's what I'm most proud of. The music's a nonsense. It's a lovely
0:36.4	nonsense, but it's a nonsense.
0:40.3	That is the voice of Rick Astley, the man behind one of the most iconic pop songs ever made.
0:44.8	Look, we all know that, but this episode is about the things that you don't know about Rick Astley.
0:50.4	You know, we have a WhatsApp group where we talk about guests that are coming on to the show,
0:54.2	and I got the sense you were really excited about having Rick in the studio.
0:57.8	Well, I read his book last year in anticipation of him coming on,
1:02.6	and there was so much I didn't know some of the childhood trauma, the difficult father he'd had,
1:07.4	the struggles he'd had once he'd become a pop star.
1:10.4	It was fascinating. And you know I've
1:12.1	known Rick through Eddie Jordan and through the Formula One world for quite a few years, or at
1:16.5	least I thought I'd known Rick. I absolutely did not know him at all. It's only when we sat down and
1:20.3	had this conversation and we started talking about fame and the fear that he has about certain
	...

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