Barlow: Not dealing with pressures of fame made me pile on weight

GARY BARLOW has said ignoring the mental pressures of being in Take That was why he gained “massive” amounts of weight when the band split.

The singer, 48, said the band’s huge success in the early Nineties made him feel self-conscious and put him under immense strain, which he mostly ignored until the “bubble burst” when the band split in 1996.

Speaking in the new Live Well, Be Well video series, Barlow, pictured, said his issues manifested themselves in a fivestone weight gain.

He said: “The first signs that something was wrong for me was the massive weight gain in a very short period of time… There was so much I wasn’t aware of, things you’re feeling that you never really got to the bottom of. It was a sign of weakness then to talk about things like this.”

After he split with band members

Robbie Williams, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange, Barlow had solo success but his popularity waned and he quit music in 1999.

Barlow has discussed his battle with bulimia in his biography A Better Me. At the height of his illness he was able to make himself sick in 30 seconds.

The father of three, who is married to former backing dancer Dawn, said his inability to talk openly added to his problems. He said: “Without me knowing, that pressure definitely built up. I wasn’t a good talker.”

Barlow, who reformed Take That as a quartet in 2005 without Williams, said the weight gain eventually forced him to “really address” the pressures of fame.

He added: “At some point you realise — this has got to stop.”

⬤ Gary Barlow is an ambassador for the non-profit Be Well Collective, which aims to bring nutritional and mental health coaching to the fashion world. Go to bewellcollective.co.uk