Gary Barlow has admitted that it was “really hard” to watch old footage of his band Take That, as part of a new Netflix documentary about the boyband.
Barlow, 55, gave new interviews for the David Soutar-directed three-parter, which dives into the early beginnings of the pop group along with Robbie Williams’s infamous departure in 1995, and Take That’s eventual reunion and return to chart success.
He was joined by his two bandmates, Howard Donald and Mark Owen, who make up the current lineup of Take That. The documentary also includes archive interviews from Williams and Jason Orange, who quit the band in 2014.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Barlow said it took him “about a week” to get through the second episode, which tackles the dark side of fame experienced by the band and the personal struggles he went through.
“It was a really, really hard watch,” he said. “A lot of the things in it, I haven’t thought about for a long time, and they’ve actually stuck with me since viewing it.”
Donald, who experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after his pop career temporarily ended with the split of Take That in 1996, said that fame was still a “real struggle”.
“Whatever my thoughts and feelings were of what I wanted to do, it was quite short-lived,” he said.
“It was a difficult thing to handle, feeling sorry for yourself, thinking that this band of the Nineties was going to go on forever, and what am I going to do now? I didn’t have a clue, because apart from [manual labour], this was the only thing I knew.”
He added: “As much as I am blessed with the success and what comes with it, fame, for me, is a real struggle. I don’t think I’ve ever got comfortable with it, even now, when you have screaming women grabbing hold of you, just like in the Nineties. I cannot get my head around it.”
Barlow later said he was relieved that they had patched things up with Williams, who often took swipes at his ex-bandmates in interviews and during awards ceremonies.
“It’s not nice to dislike anybody, really, especially someone you’ve been close to,” he said. “And just thank God we’re here laughing about it, and telling the story of something that’s in the past, because when we first met and made up [in 2010], it was such an enormous weight being lifted. It’s a traumatic feeling, it really is. And watching it back is very, very hard.”
Netflix’s Take That documentary will be released on the streaming platform on 27 January. The band announced last year that they will embark on a comeback tour of their hit shows, The Circus, in stadiums across the UK and Ireland this summer.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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