Gary Barlow used to get up early so he could eat more

The Take That singer – who famously ballooned to over 240lbs after the group split up in 1996 – admits he has learned how to control his eating habits by not always being strict with himself but found it hard to stick to in a sensible way at first.

He explained: “The key to me was portion sizes and I think people forget that, if you can control your portion size you can eat what you want and you’ve cracked it.

“I have Saturdays off, I was getting a lot of advice and this guy said if you just diet seven days a week, you’ll get fed up and fall off the wagon.

“I’d get up early on a Saturday to get started but I would make such a pig of myself and I thought ‘I don’t want to be this’ and after a few weeks the food got less and now it’s a part of life, I know when I’m full and I even recognise when I’m full but want to keep eating because I’m a pig!”

The ‘Patience’ hitmaker also knows he needs to work out regularly to help keep his weight down.

He added: “I must say if I didn’t train as much I’d be a different size but I work out every day except Saturdays and Sundays. I’m a cardio man, I do tennis, I do Pilates. I’ve never done yoga.”

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Gary Barlow can’t wait to go on holiday without his kids

The Take That frontman – who has children Daniel, 10, Emily, eight, and two-year-old Daisy with wife Dawn – is planning a romantic break with his spouse, though he claims he is worried about how well they will get along without the rest of their family.

He said: “The kids keep us pretty busy, although in about a week’s time, we’re going off on holiday, me and the wife with no kids, for the first time in about 11 years. I’m making a list of things we can talk about!

“I’m really looking forward to it, I’m taking my keyboard with me, and my laptop. No I’m not really.”

Though the ‘Flood‘ singer – who turns 40 today (20.01.11) – claims to struggle for conversation around his wife, he won’t be finding other ways to occupy their time together after admitting he finds it “insulting” when people use their mobile phones in his company.

He told BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans: “I get really insulted when people bring their phones to the dinner table and send texts, am I not important enough for you? It really annoys me. “

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Robbie Williams has got married

The 36-year-old singer tied the knot with long-term partner Ayda Field in an intimate ceremony at the couple’s Beverly Hills home at 5pm yesterday (07.08.10).

Robbie’s delighted father Pete Conway said: “At last, Rob is happy. That’s what you want for your kids and this is the happiest I’ve seen him. Ayda is so beautiful and so delightful and so lovely and just so right for him. They are brilliant together.”

The wedding had been shrouded in mystery, with friends only told of the couple’s wedding plans a few days ago and the venue changed at the last minute from the island of Catalina to their Los Angeles house amid security concerns.

A friend of the couple said: “The ‘save-the-date’ cards that went out two weeks ago only said it was a party to celebrate Robbie’s 20 years in showbusiness.

“It was only in the last few days that news leaked out that it was going to be a wedding. Robbie is the happiest I have ever seen him.

“He says that until Ayda came along he didn’t know what it was like to be truly happy. He credits her with teaching him how to learn to laugh and love again.”

According to reports, the 30-minute ceremony was followed by a sit-down dinner and dancing, but it is believed alcohol was banned from the couple’s big day at the request of Robbie, who has previously battled alcoholism and drug addiction.

Robbie’s father Pete and mum Jan Williams flew out for the ceremony, while the 31-year-old actress’ mother also attended, but not her estranged dad.

The singer’s best friend Jonathan Wilkes was also a guest at the wedding, but his Take That bandmates – Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald – were not there as they had prior vacation commitments.

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Gary Barlow is planning a hike to the North Pole.

The Take That singer – who let a celebrity charity expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro last year – is hoping to convince a group of showbiz pals to join him on the gruelling arctic trip in spring 2012 to raise money for BBC Sport Relief.

His latest challenge is likely to take a week to complete.

A source told Britain‘s The Sun newspaper: “Gary loves a challenge, so as soon as he finished the Kilimanjaro trip he was working out what to do next. There was talk of climbing Everest but that’s a seriously tough exercise.

“Getting to the North Pole is not exactly easier but it is more do-able and takes less time.”

Gary already seems to be shaping up for the challenge – after the singer and his Take That bandmates agreed to ban alcohol at their concerts next year.

The group – who have been rejoined by Robbie Williams – will only serve soft drinks backstage during their proposed epic 54-date tour for the sake of the ‘Angels’ singer and bandmate Mark Owen, who have battled alcohol problems in the past.

A source said: “It’s a sensitive subject but alcohol will be off limits for the band and crew. Their last tour was one giant party and for Mark and Robbie’s sake, that just won’t work this time around.”

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Gary Barlow is in talks to be Britain’s Queen Elizabeth’s personal party planner.

The Take That singer has been invited over to the monarch’s royal residence, Buckingham Palace in London, for discussions about whether he can arrange lavish events for Elizabeth’s 85th birthday on April 21 next year and her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “Her Majesty has been made well aware of Gary’s charity work and the events he has put together.
“Gary’s got the power to pull in some big names and ensure it’s a party to match the occasion. The timing means he can get the ball
rolling early and start ringing his contacts.”

The queen’s advisers have apparently approached the 39-year-old singer/songwriter because of the outstanding celebrity bashes he has arranged in the past. Last year he persuaded a group of stars – including Cheryl Cole and Kimberley Walsh – to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for charity and also helped raise over £2.1 million by organising the Children In Need Rocks concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

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Robbie Williams poked fun at his former Take That bandmate Mark Owen on stage last night (18.03.10).

Mark, who recently confessed to cheating on his wife Emma Ferguson with 10 women, was the butt of a number of jokes made by Robbie, who was performing in London.

He said: “This is going to be one of the best nights of my life, do you know, it’s so nice to be the only member of Take That not in trouble this week. That’s a surprise isn’t it?”

Later on, the 36-year-old singer said his song ‘Rock DJ’ reminded him of Mark – who has since gone into rehab for an alcohol problem.

He said: “Me with the floorshow, kicking with your torso. I’ll be like Mark Owen by the time I come off after singing that. I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”

Robbie also admitted he was afraid to let go on stage at the concert for UK radio station Heart because he had put on weight.

He said: “I’m a little porky and have to do sexy tonight and what did I put on? A cardigan. You wouldn’t want to see my body without it. I’ve got a real complex now about dancing – I used to be really good.”

Despite his jokes, Robbie – who has overcome his own battles with addiction – has been supporting close friend Mark through this difficult time, along with the other members of Take That, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange.

A source said: “Mark has confessed to having issues with alcohol and with his own substance abuse past, Robbie is the perfect person to offer him support.”

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A second Take That singer, Howard Donald, has been exposed for cheating on the mother of his youngest daughter.

The ‘Rule The World’ vocalist had an eight-month affair with married Dutch woman Merith Van Onselen, behind the back of his then-partner Marie Christine Musswesseles.
Merith first met Howard in 2008 when he was working as a DJ at a Berlin club, and after wooing her with emails and text messages they met up in Amsterdam and in UK from January last year for passionate romps, unbeknown to both their partners. The revelation comes in the same week bandmate Mark Owen admitted to 10 affairs behind the back of his now-wife.
Merith told the News Of The World newspaper: “He said to me he was worried about what I was telling my husband. He told me we shouldn’t throw ourselves in too deep to start with but I think we were both frustrated after all the texts and emails. So even though we wanted to take it slowly, we just couldn’t help ourselves.
“I’m glad I made sure I was wearing some sexy knickers because as soon as we got into his house he took off my clothes and slowly kissed me.
” I think we both felt it was right. Howard spoke a lot about feeling guilty about Marie. He was so confused and kept saying to me, ‘Look at the big picture, you are married and I am still in a relationship’.”
Howard, 41, later introduced Merith, 28, to the rest of Take That – which also includes Gary Barlow and Jason Orange – and even the mother of his first daughter, Victoria Piddington, although their relationship cooled in autumn last year after he said he had to think of his children. By the end of 2009 Merith had filed for divorce from her husband and Howard had split with Marie.
Meanwhile, Mark’s wife and mother to his two children, Emma Owen, has revealed the extent of her devastation at her husband’s cheating saying: “I don’t know the man I’ve married – this isn’t him,” and telling friends she needs at least a week to decide whether their five month marriage is worth saving. Mark has meanwhile checked into rehab for alcohol abuse.
A friend of his wife said: “Emma is absolutely mortified and as things stand she doesn’t think she can take Mark back. The sheer scale of the betrayal is so huge.
“Almost overnight, Emma has gone from being in what she thought was a happy marriage to finding out her husband is a serial adulterer with a big drink problem.”
Actress Emma has also kicked Mark out of their London home.

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Robbie Williams says his stage fright is like “thinking you’re going to throw yourself off” a balcony.

The ‘Morning Sun’ singer was amazed at how much his nerves spiralled out of control on his 2006 ‘Close Encounters’ world tour and never knows how they will affect him.
He said: “I never know what I’m gonna get until the day of the show itself.
“I did a tour and on that tour an awful lot of people came to see me, and I bit off a bit more than I could chew and I buckled.
“The stage fright went from being something necessary to prepare yourself for the big show to an overwhelming fear of, ‘I can’t go on, I can’t go on.’
“It’s a bit like that feeling when you’re standing on the balcony and you think you’re going to throw yourself off. That kind of fear.”
Robbie is still keeping tight-lipped about speculation he is to reunite with his former group Take That, despite reports revealing he joined his ex-bandmates – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange – in the studio this week to record some tracks.
Robbie – whose best friend in the band Mark Owen missed the sessions as he battles to save his marriage to Emma Ferguson following his cheating confession – said: “I’ve got something very exciting planned for the end of the year, too. Separate to me… and that’s very, very, very exciting.”

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The ‘Bodies’ singer only got engaged last week but is desperate to make Ayda Field – who he has been dating for around three years – his wife, and has earmarked the romantic day as a possible wedding date.

A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “Robbie doesn’t want to have a long, drawn-out engagement. When he gets something in his head, there’s no stopping him. He’s asked all his friends and family to keep the entire week free leading up to February 14, so they can have a week-long celebration before Valentine’s Day.”

The 35-year-old star is hoping to whisk loved-ones over to Santa Barbara, California, for the ceremony and he has already looked around two prospective venues.

The nuptials are set to be a star-studded event, with his former Take That bandmates Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange and other celebrity pals set to attend.

The source added: “He has asked best friend Jonathan Wilkes to be best man and it’s likely Take That will perform.”

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The ‘Bodies’ singer – who released new album ‘Reality Killed the Video Star’ in November – wants to hit the road in Britain in the next two years.

He said: “I will be going on tour. That will be happening. When, where, I don’t know. But it will be happening. Definitely before 2012.”

The 35-year-old star – who rose to fame aged 16 when he joined boy band Take That – also hinted again he is to rejoin his former bandmates, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald, for a new project.

He said: “Am I going to rejoin Take That? I don’t know what’s happening. Something is in the offing. We have been spending a lot of time together. I’m a big fan of them and the band.

“I want to be involved someway, somehow. But I don’t know how that’s going to work.”

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The supermodel laughed and giggled as she directed a line of dancing partygoers around the Tabernacle venue, in London’s Notting Hill, to the ‘Dirty Dancing’ track ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ while her celebrity friends – including model Pixie Geldof – watched on in amusement.

Once the 35-year-old beauty reached the dancefloor she began dancing the Macarena with her pals.

The celebrity revellers were joined at the PlayStation3 SingStar Take That Extravaganza by hundreds of other guests who turned out to support the band as they launched their karaoke computer game and promote the HIV charity Body and Soul.

Take That – Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald – teamed-up with British comic James Corden for a rendition of their 2007 hit ‘Rule The World’.

The band got a little emotional as they told the crowd the evening reminded them of the intimate concerts they used to perform when they first started out.

In celebration of Take That’s 19-year long career, some of Britain’s newest stars – including Paloma Faith, Taio Cruz and Speech Debelle – also took to the stage to entertain the audience with their versions of the band’s hit records.

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The group – consisting of Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham and Shane Lynch – performed at Ronan’s Emerald and Ivy Ball in Battersea, south London, on Saturday night (21.11.09) where Stephen’s grieving husband took to the stage to pay tribute to the late pop star.

Ronan told him: “With you being here tonight, the four of us, Boyzone, feel like five.”

Also during the evening Ronan performed alongside Take That star Gary Barlow.

The pair sang a rendition of ‘Back For Good’ – which Take That topped the UK charts with in 1995 – to the cheering audience.

The bash is an annual event in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation which Ronan and his family set up when his mother Marie died of breast cancer in 1998.

It raised £650,000 for charity Cancer Research UK.

Stephen died aged 33 from an acute pulmonary oedema, a build-up of fluid in the lungs, while on holiday with Andy at their villa in Majorca on October 10.

Since his shock passing, his bandmates have regularly spoken out about their devastation at losing their long-time friend.

Ronan recently admitted: “I just feel worn out. I haven’t been sleeping. My brain doesn’t work. My heart’s broken. You just feel crushed. I’ve had good days and bad days.

“The bad days are horrible, it’s like the walls are coming in on top of you. Anxiety I think is what they call it.

“We’ve all been feeling the same way since Stephen passed. Mentally I’m absolutely exhausted.”

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The ‘Bodies’ singer cried as he was reunited with his former bandmates – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen – onstage last night (12.11.08) for the first time in 15 years and revealed plans are in place for them to enter the studio together.

He said to Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “The ball is rolling for a Take That album with me. I was tearing up when I was onstage with the lads.”

Robbie joined the group and a host of other stars including Lily Allen to sing Beatles classic ‘Hey Jude’ – led by the song’s original singer, Sir Paul McCartney at London’s Royal Albert hall for the charity concert.

Gary – who organised the concert in aid of Children In Need – performed arm-in-arm with Robbie, and said he felt like the old line-up was back together again.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “He was the last one I was hoping to get here. He was the icing on the cake of the whole thing for me.

“When we were all stood in a line we didn’t want to leave … it felt great having him back. It feels like he’s back, it does.”

Robbie also admitted he wished they could have stayed onstage for longer and sung one of Take That’s old hits.

He said: “We should have milked it for a lot longer. I was trying to call them back and do a bow. It’s the first time in 15 years we were together, we should have at least stayed for 15 minutes.

“While they were singing I wanted to grab a mic and start singing too. It would have to have been ‘Back For Good’.”

Take That opened the show before opening the stage up for their former bandmate.

After performing their hit ‘Greatest Day’, Gary then said: “What a perfect night for us to introduce an old friend.”

However, fans hoping for a full reunion were left disappointed when the group departed the stage, leaving Robbie alone to sing two tracks from his new album ‘Reality Killed The Video Star’.

Other performers at the event included Snow Patrol and Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis, Annie Lennox and Dizzee Rascal.

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The ‘Bodies’ hitmaker – who left the group in 1995 following a rift with his bandmates – has reportedly agreed to perform with Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen for the first time in 15 years for British charity Children In Need.

Former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney is also believed to be joining the band on stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall, though the supergroup are still discussing what to sing.

A source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “The reunion is go. Robbie is utterly thrilled about it. He’s been dreaming of performing with Take That again for years and now it’s going to happen.

“Gary is looking forward to singing with Rob again, but landing Paul McCartney is without doubt his biggest coup. They haven’t decided what they are going to sing together, but something will take shape in rehearsals.”

Other performers at the charity event include Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole, ‘Bleeding Love’ hitmaker Leona Lewis and ‘Bonkers’ rapper Dizzee Rascal.

Robbie – who has previously battled alcohol and drug addictions – walked out on the band in 1995 and famously refused to speak to bandmate Gary for 10 years.

But in 2005 the pair made contact and have since been writing together.

Meanwhile, Take That bandmate Mark got his sister to sing at his wedding.

The pintsized star asked Tracy to perform with a choir when he tied the knot last weekend to Emma Ferguson, and she wowed the congregation with a rendition of Judy Collins’ version of Amazing Grace

A source at the service said of Tracy’s performance: “She was amazing. Singing definitely runs in the family.”

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Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald were left stranded after bandmate Mark Owen’s Scottish wedding to Emma Ferguson due to freezing fog engulfing Inverness Airport, prompting the military unit to step in.

After all planes were banned from taking off or landing at Inverness Airport, RAF Lossiemouth at nearby Morayshire offered their 17-seater Lear Jet for the ‘Greatest Day’ hitmakers.

A source said: “They must have only had a few hours sleep. The last thing they needed was their flight getting delayed.”

The band were driven to the RAF base, 34 miles away from Inverness Airport, and they were met by military police at the gate, and underwent stringent security checks before being escorted to their private plane to fly home.

Mark and Emma – who have two children, Elwood, three, and Willow, 11 months – married in front of 50 guests at Cawdor Church, just outside of Inverness.

Although former bandmate Robbie Williams failed to attend either the ceremony or reception at Cawdor Castle, other guests are said to have included Coldplay rocker Chris Martin and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow.

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The ‘Bodies’ singer admitted he is gathering the courage to ask actress Ayda Field – who he has been dating since January 2007 – to be his wife.

When asked by if he plans to marry Ayda, Robbie replied: “I might be. It could be on the cards… yeah.”

His answer was met with cheers from the audience, to which the singer replied: “You’re happy that I’m happy, right?”

While Robbie’s relationship with Ayda is going well, he is also delighted to have rekindled his friendship with former Take That bandmates Gary Barlow – with whom he was locked in a bitter feud with after departing the group in 1995 – Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald.

He said: “I’m so glad I have sorted out my relationship with them. We sat down and did all the hard talk straight away and sorted everything out and then it was done.

Gary’s just a very, very well rounded loving man. He’s special and he should be regarded as special in this country.”

The singer also admitted he enjoys thinking back to the band’s early days, despite being unable to remember much of what happened.

He added on UK TV show ‘Loose Women’: “Regarding nostalgia, I can’t remember much. Two trips to rehab will do that.

“But I absolutely embrace those days when it was five mates travelling around the world having a whale of a time and pre-pubescent girls screaming at us. Who have since grown up.

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The Take That singer wed long-term partner Emma Ferguson – with who he has two children, Elwood, three, and Willow, 11 months – in a ceremony at Cawdor church in the Scottish Highlands that was attended by his bandmates Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald.

However, despite recent speculation, former group member Robbie Williams failed to attend the church service and was not believed to have been at the reception, held at nearby Cawdor Castle.

The village of Cawdor was said to be awash with excitement at the celebrity wedding day, with fans lining the streets for hours to catch a glimpse of the singer and his bride.

However, many were left disappointed as the couple exited the church and walked through an archway made by the wedding party which hid them from the view of the gathered crowd after the ceremony.

Elaine Brown, who was among more than 500 fans waiting outside the church, said: “They didn’t even let us see the happy couple. I know it’s their special day but they could have let us have a glimpse.”

Actress Emma – who has been engaged to the ‘Greatest Day’ singer since 2006 – kept the groom waiting for 25 minutes, arriving at the church at 4.55pm.

Following the church service, Mark and Emma were taken to their reception by a vintage Volkswagen camper van. The couple reportedly chose the location for the wedding as they have had many happy holidays in the area. The wedding had reportedly been in the planning for two years.

Take That were expected to sing together at the wedding, with Mark posting on his website: “No doubt once the boys have had a few drinks we will get into song.”

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The ‘Bodies’ hitmaker – who left the group in 1995 and embarked on a successful solo career – has revealed he has been meeting up with former bandmates Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen to work on a secret project.

When asked if he’ll be performing with the foursome again, he said: “We’ve got together, done bits and bobs. I can’t say much, but yes, I hope so.”

The 35-year-old singer – who has previously battled alcohol and drug addictions – also spoke candidly about how he was forced to stop performing in 2007 when his personal problems began to spiral out of control.

In an episode of TV talk show ‘Friday Night With Jonathan Ross’ due to air in the UK on Friday (06.11.09), he said: “The decision to quit playing live was made for me, I’ve always been very nervous… 80,000 people, it’s an unnatural thing to do. You don’t know what’s going on in my head.

“It’s traumatic, really scary. I ended up in rehab again, it was ‘What are you doing to yourself?’ I thought it’s time to break the cycle.”

Robbie is now determined to remain sober for his girlfriend of three years, Ayda Field, so they can start a family together.

He added: “I’ve taken the pressure off myself, it’s a part-time thing these days. The missus keeps me grounded. There’s no need to take myself out of my mind any more.

“I thought I was going to be a bachelor but I was introduced to Ayda and things just changed. She’s a wonderful person and I’m in love. She’s really broody and I’m getting there.”

Robbie sparked speculation he was working with the group again after they were all spotted at New York’s Electric Lady Studio while the band were in America for Mark’s bachelor party.

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The ‘Patience’ hitmakers – who have earned millions since they reformed in 2005 – say they often get disheartened by their writing and are constantly questioning their own abilities.

said: “I’m the most negative in the band, asking, ‘Can we do it better?’ all the time. I always question if what we are doing is good enough.”

His bandmate Mark Owen added: “Sometimes one of us has to go down a certain path with an idea before we all decide it’s s**t.”

However, Howard Donald says the group perform better as a unit now as Gary Barlow is no longer the sole songwriter.

He explained in the ‘Take That Presents: The Circus Live’ DVD: “We’ve got a much bigger friendship now that we ever did.

“Gary used to write everything at such a rate we were always catching up.”

Mark – who had two top 10 singles in the UK chart after the band split in 1996 – admits his own input in the band would be better if he could remember his dreams.

He explained: “I write great songs in my sleep. I sing lyrics into my phone.

“When I wake up in the morning it’s just me mumbling and falling asleep – but when I’m dreaming I hear all the string arrangements.”

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