Take That star Gary Barlow has revealed his children have not followed in his famous footsteps, instead shunning the limelight for academic pursuits.
The pop icon, 53 – who rose to fame alongside Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, and Howard Donald in the legendary boyband – is notoriously private about his family life, but shared an update on his children.
The musician revealed that his son Daniel, 24, and daughter Emily, 22, have chosen very different career paths, while his daughter Daisy, 15, is still unsure of her future.
‘The two oldest ones [Daniel and Emily] have kind of gone into medicine and physiology – studying strength and conditioning – and my youngest one, Daisy, I’m not too sure what she’s heading for but again, she’s very studious… unlike me and my wife,’ he said.
He continued to The Mirror: ‘I don’t think they will follow in my music footsteps but I wouldn’t have discouraged them though if they did want to, it’s been a good business for me.
‘Every day I still enjoy what I do and when you realise you’re making a living from it, it’s a great, great place to be. Many roles in “showbiz” are just wonderful, there’s definitely a much harder world out there than the one I’m in I think.’
Who are Gary Barlow’s children?
Gary and his wife Dawn Andrews, 54, tied the knot in 2000, welcoming their eldest child Andrew in the same year.
The singer rarely shares pictures of his children on social media, but in 2022 he posted a snap alongside his son last month as he celebrated an impressive sporting achievement.
‘We just couldn’t be prouder of our boy – unbelievable amounts of training and determination – when you put in the work you get the results,’ he wrote alongside the family picture, which showed Daniel towering over his father.
‘Congratulations #ironman.’
In a separate post, Gary expressed how much he enjoys the quality time he gets to spend with his offspring, sharing a video of him and Daniel training together.
‘There’s nothing I love more than spending time with my kids. Here’s a little video of Dan and me having a Father and Son training session,’ he wrote.
‘I’m very proud of my boy and his commitment to his fitness. Don’t look at the difference in weights.
Making fun of their height difference, he said: ‘Don’t notice that I’m stood a little further forward to make the size gap smaller. Lol.’
Dawn then gave birth to Emily in 2002, and Daisy in 2009.
Gary recently revealed that Dawn had not joined him on his current world tour with Take That so she can support Daisy through her schooling at home.
When asked if she would be jetsetting alongside the musician, he told The Daily Mail: ‘Sadly not, we’ve still got one child at school. Dawn’s like “I was there for the others, I want to be there for her”.’
In the same interview, he said the band’s stint in Australia meant he would be able to see Emily, who is currently living there, which he described as a ‘treat.’
On August 4, 2012, the couple announced their fourth child, Poppy, had been stillborn.
‘Dawn and I are devastated to announce that we’ve lost our baby,’ Gary said in a statement at the time.
‘Our focus now is giving [Poppy] a beautiful funeral and loving our three children with all our hearts. We’d ask at this painful time that our privacy be respected.’
Speaking about their tragic loss earlier this year, Gary said it was something he was ‘not at peace’ with at this time.
‘I don’t talk about this in great detail and I literally don’t because I’m still kind of figuring it out a little bit,’ he said during an appearance on The Imperfects podcast.
‘My wife’s emotions were completely different to mine. I’ve been angry for a long time about that, I haven’t really found peace with it yet.’
He continued: ‘I think it comes down to men deal with it differently than the women do. My wife does far better than I do, she’s a much stronger person than I am. She’s really been amazing throughout it.’
Explaining how it affected Daniel, Emily, and Daisy, he said that his eldest two children ‘still talk about it a lot.’
Sands UK charity
Sands UK is a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, which works to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that those affected by the loss of a baby receives the best possible care for as long as they need it.
The charity aims to better understand the causes of baby deaths and works with governments and other organisations to raise awareness of issues surrounding baby loss.
Sands provides bereavement support at a local and national level.
Please visit the Sands UK website for more information and contact details.
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