Some disappeared from the scene, but others, with some changes in their members, made a comeback after a period of time.
This was the case of Take That (Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, and Jason Orange), who is back in the spotlight because Netflix released on Tuesday, January 27, the three-part documentary about the group. In the second episode, Gary Barlow's (55) descent into hell is revealed, where his colleague Robbie Williams (51) had a significant rivalry that deeply affected him.
When Take That split up in 1996, speculations were rife that Gary would become the new George Michael, but it was Robbie who achieved that. Additionally, Gary was burdened by the fact that his record label had abandoned him. He wanted to carve out a solo path and found himself lost. Gary was so incredibly competitive that he admitted to feeling envious of Robbie.
"My only problem was always Gary. I wanted to finish him off. I wanted to destroy the memory of the group. And I never stopped. Even when he had nothing, I kept going," Robbie Williams himself narrates in the mentioned documentary in his own voice-over.
Referring to incidents like the one in 2005 at the BRIT Awards ceremony, where Robbie, upon receiving a special award, said on stage: "Sorry Gary, but I was always the only talented one in the group."
The group's dissolution and the stagnation of his solo career were terribly tough moments for Gary. The jokes and mockery affected him psychologically to the extent that "everything was so humiliating that I used to hide. I spent about 13 months without leaving the house even once. And on top of that, I started to gain weight and the more weight I gained, the less people recognized me. But I thought: 'It's okay. This is what I always wanted: a normal life'."
At that time, Gary Barlow still lived in Delamere Manor, the impressive 18th-century mansion set in 45 hectares of land in Cheshire county where Take That and other artists had crafted their albums as it had a recording studio. The artist started eating excessively, especially at night, until he was unrecognizable due to overweight.
In this way, "I destroyed the pop star," he admits in the documentary; he didn't care how he felt, all he wanted was to satisfy his anguish, insecurities, and jealousy. Many times, everything he ate, he would vomit. Bulimia was taking its toll on him.
But in 2003, Gary realized he couldn't go on. He had reached 107 kilos and had to stop. He said to himself: "No, I'm not going to allow this anymore, I'm going to change. I want to change, and I'm determined that this is not what I've become" and added: "It only took me a few years to sink so low, but it took me years to become who I wanted to be again. Probably 10 years."
But for Robbie Williams, not everything was golden either. While he was adored, idolized and had set a record in the British pop industry after signing a lucrative £80 million contract, demons were eating him up inside. His addiction to drugs, alcohol, and depression had taken over him.
Far from leaving him stranded, Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and even Gary Barlow decided to stand together, forget the past and help their colleague. This led to a strengthened new friendship between Gary and Robbie.
Currently, Gary is in a bright moment. He is still fully immersed in the music industry, his latest studio album was This Life (2023), and his recent concerts were during the Songbook tour (2025). And above all, he is a successful businessman. Furthermore, after the dissolution of Take That in 1996, the band reformed in 2005 and after further changes, the remaining members are Barlow, Donald, and Owen.
According to The Sun, through the company GE & GB Property Ltd, co-founded by Gary Barlow with Geoff Egan, a commercial property investment expert, in the spring of last year, they spent £21 million on three buildings in Richmond, southwest London, which yielded them £1.8 million annually in rental income. The tabloid states that his fortune amounts to over £100 million.
Personally, life is also smiling at Gary, as since 2000 he has been married to former dancer Dawn Andrews, whom he met during the Nobody tour. The couple has three children, Daniel (25), Emily (23), and Daisy (17).