Gary Barlow has opened up about how his solo career flop made him ‘feel like a failure’ after the band went their separate ways in the nineties.
While his bandmate Robbie Williams’ career skyrocketed following the release of tracks such as Let Me Entertain You and Angels, Gary’s paled in comparison.
Gary now admits he worried what he would do next as he didn’t see a way back for the band either, claiming he didn’t think they would ever reunite.
While he was initially expected to be the breakout star of the band, that honour actually fell upon Robbie, who has had a solo career spanning three decades.
It was a tough time for Gary, 54, who was suffering from bulimia in an attempt to ‘kill off the pop star’ he thought he no longer was.
After years of struggling with his appearance, Gary changed his diet in 2003 with the resolve to beat his body image demons.
Gary Barlow has opened up about how his solo career flop made him ‘feel like a failure’ after the band went their separate ways in the nineties
He told the Sunday Times: ‘I felt like a failure. I had all this shame of the position I was in and it would have been different if it happened today, because you could reach out for help. It’s not shameful to ask for help now. But I would not have done anything differently because it’s all led to here.’
Robbie’s success also meant that Gary believed ‘nobody would care’ enough to come and see the rest of the band without him.
When asked if a reunion was always on the cards, Gary said: ‘No, definitely no. I just couldn’t see a way back. I couldn’t see a world where it would happen because Robbie had gone not just big — he’d gone so big we were just left there. Who would want to come and see us? Who would care?’
However Gary needn’t have been concerned for the future of his career as he has since gone on to release tracks with the band and as a solo artist.
Just last week it was announced that Take That’s record breaking Circus Live tour will return with stadium shows across the UK and Ireland in summer 2026.
Gary, Mark Owen and Howard Donald first staged it in 2009 and it became the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under five hours – however Jason Orange will not be joining them this time after leaving the band in 2014.
Now after 17-years the trio are back ‘bigger and bolder’ with the show that featured fire-breathers, stilt-walkers and a huge 30-foot-tall mechanical elephant, which carried them through the audience.
Following the announcement the band said: ‘The Circus tour was one of our favourite experiences as a band and, in the years since, we’ve talked many times about how much we’d love to do it again one day’.
Take That have announced the return of their record breaking Circus Live tour with stadium shows across the UK and Ireland in summer 2026 as well as a new album later that year
Gary, Mark Owen and Howard Donald first staged it in 2009 and it became the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under 5 hours
The band announced the news at a special press conference at the Soho Hotel in London on Friday (L-R) Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen
‘Well, that time has come! We’re so excited to welcome audiences old and new across the UK and Ireland to the spectacle of The Circus Live next summer. See you out there! ‘.
Show kick off in Southampton on May 29 before Coventry, Sunderland, Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, as well as two nights at the London Stadium, where the band performed as part of the 2012 Olympics.
The new show will see band to perform the original 2009 set list, but promise a few new surprises along the way.
The Script, who supported Take That on the original Circus Live Tour will return also as guests for their UK shows, alongside Belinda Carlisle.
Speaking on HEART 90s with Kevin Hughes Gary said the band’s new album, which will be their tenth, will be released at the ‘end of next year’.
‘We are creating right now. So, we’re hoping to throw a new one in there somewhere, maybe towards the end.
He continued: ‘But yeah, excited for next year. Definitely in that album mode at the moment. You know, hopefully the end of next year we’ll have something to show. But, yeah, working on it right now’.
While Mark added: ‘I know, it is incredible. And so, we’re excited about it. We want to do something really special. We’re talking a lot about the next record, the sound, the feel.
‘The lovely thing in many ways is that we know we’re going to be together trying to ride unicycles, trying to make a record’.
Tickets go on sale September 26 at 9.30am, but fans can get first access by pre-ordering the band’s new album from the Take That official store.
Now after 17-years the trio are back ‘bigger and bolder’ with the show that featured fire-breathers, stilt-walkers and a huge 30-foot-tall mechanical elephant
Jason Orange (pictured 2009) will not be joining them this time after leaving the band in 2014
Speaking on HEART 90s with Kevin Hughes Gary said the band’s new album, which will be their tenth, will released at the ‘end of next year’
While Mark added: ‘I know, it is incredible. And so, we’re excited about it. We want to do something really special. We’re talking a lot about the next record, the sound, the feel’
The band said: ‘The Circus tour was one of our favourite experiences as a band and, in the years since, we’ve talked many times about how much we’d love to do it again one day’
The new show will see band to perform the original 2009 set list, but promise a few new surprises along the way.
The Script, who supported Take That on the original Circus Live Tour will return also as guests for their UK shows, alongside Belinda Carlisle
Take That’s original Circus tour pictured 2009
It comes after former band member Robbie Williams reportedly delayed the release of his Britpop album to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift.
It was announced back in May that the singer, who famously left the band in 1995, upcoming album called Britpop, was due to be released this autumn.
But it has now been reported that Robbie has delayed the launch until February 2026 so he doesn’t have to compete in the charts with Taylor – whose album The Life of a Showgirl drops on October 3.
Fans of the star who have preordered the album reportedly received an email reading: ‘Due to scheduling changes, Britpop will now be released on February 6, 2026.’
And it could be for good reason, as if Robbie can clinch the No1 spot with the record, he will become the artist with the most chart-topping UK albums – surpassing The Beatles.
‘Taylor is undoubtedly the biggest artist in the world right now and her first-week sales are sure to eclipse any other artist who has released a record in recent years,’ a source old The Sun.
‘The sales will still be massive in the second week, so Robbie and his team decided it’s better to just move the release date.
‘The new date in February has actually opened up loads more exciting opportunities, so there will be a lot happening in the New Year.’
Daily Mail has contacted Robbie’s representatives for comment.
Britpop is inspired by the era in which he famously feuded with Oasis brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
As previously teased, the lead single, Rocket, features Black Sabbath axe-slayer Tony Iommi on guitar.
Speaking about his new music, Robbie explained: ‘I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995. It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British Music.
‘I’ve worked with some of my heroes on this album; it’s raw, there are more guitars and it’s an album that’s even more upbeat and anthemic than usual.’
It comes after former Take That member Robbie Williams reportedly delayed the release of his Britpop album to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift (Robbie seen in December)
Robbie has reportedly delayed the launch until February 2026 so he doesn’t have to compete in the charts with Taylor – whose album The Life of a Showgirl (Pictured) drops on October 3
Robbie continued: ‘There’s some “Brit” in there and there’s certainly some “pop” too – I’m immensely proud of this as a body of work and I’m excited for fans to hear this album.
‘I also can’t wait to perform a song or two from it on my upcoming Britpop tour, which I’m opening in the UK, naturally.’
Robbie later changed the name of his tour from Robbie Williams Live 2025 to the Britpop Tour.
The album’s artwork features the red tracksuit Robbie famously wore to Glastonbury Festival in 1995, where he partied hard with and briefly befriended Oasis frontman Liam, around the same time he quit boy band Take That.
Yet relationships between Robbie and the siblings were sometimes strained, with Noel famously branding Robbie the ‘fat dancer from Take That’.
Despite trading insults over the years, Robbie has always loved Oasis’ music and has always admitted he would have preferred to be making that kind of music opposed to his band’s pop hits.
Robbie’s Britpop tour kicked off in Edinburgh on May 31 and will see him travel to the likes of Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Sweden. Its final date is October 7 in Instanbul.
Tickets go on sale September 26 at 9.30am, but fans can get first access by pre-ordering the band’s forthcoming tenth studio album, to be released late 2026, from the Take That official store.
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