The Stoke Sentinel secured an exclusive interview with pop star Robbie Williams when he telephoned the paper to set the record straight on claims that he had turned his back on his Potteries roots.

The paper's front page on July 30 led with a story claiming Robbie had spent £10m on an executive box at Chelsea Football Club rather than choosing to invest in his cash-strapped home club Port Vale.

Upset by the claims, Robbie contacted the Sentinel and gave a frank interview, revealing that the box he had bought at Chelsea was actually a present for his manager, costing less than £50,000.

The paper said the star wanted to "reassure the Potteries public he has not forgotten them - or his beloved Port Vale".

Robbie said that he donates any spare cash to charity, but "would love to be a director of Vale" in the future.

He told the Sentinel: "I get really, really emotional about this and the situation angers me - especially when I wake up in the morning and read these reports about me turning my back on Vale.

"The papers can print whatever they want about me. I don't care whether it's the truth or not, but in this instance I have made an exception to speak out because I love Port Vale.

"The papers can talk about my personal life or whatever - but don't mess with me and the Vale."

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