10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TAKE THAT
◆ Robbie Williams left the band in 1995 and the rest of band completed their world tour and released one last single before splitting up in 1996.
◆ Ten years later the band reformed – minus Robbie Williams – and, much to fans’ delight, did a reunion tour.
◆ Early hits included A Million Love Songs, It Only Takes A Minute and Could It Be Magic but it was Pray that secured their first number one.
◆ As well as writing most of Take That’s biggest hits, Gary Barlow has written a string of hits for other star per formers, including Elton John, Shirley Bassey and Elaine Page.
◆ Before joining Take That at the tender age of 16 after his mother spotted an advert in the newspaper, Robbie worked as a double glazing salesman.
◆ In 1995, Robbie Williams made a cameo appearance in EastEnders and in 2000 Gary Barlow made his acting debut in Heartbeat.
◆ Mark Owen’s career could have taken a very different direction – he was a talented footballer and, prior to joining Take That, even had trials for Manchester United.
◆ With his cute, angelic face, Mark was hugely popular with female fans in the 90s, reportedly receiving over two thirds of all the fan mail.
◆ At 22, Howard Donald was the oldest member of the original line-up – the rest were all in their teens.
◆ When the band broke up in 1996, teenage girls were so distraught, government helplines were set up to provide counselling for them.