Robbie Williams says he feels ‘horrible’ for how he treated former rival Gary Barlow and has been having ‘sleepless nights’ after watching Take That documentary

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Robbie Williams has admitted he regrets the way he behaved towards Gary Barlow during his time in Take That, saying he feels ‘horrible’ about it.

I was really touched by Robbie Williams’ reflections during his concert in Manchester on Friday. He shared how seeing the new documentary about his former bandmates made him think about their past disagreements and how long they’d carried that tension. It was a really human moment, acknowledging a long-standing feud and hinting at a possible resolution.

The strained relationship between Gary and Robbie goes way back to the 1990s. It began when Robbie publicly insulted Gary with a harsh, offensive term and subsequently left the band Take That in 1995.

He competed with his old friend Gary for success in the music industry, but Gary eventually stopped making music altogether.

Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow reconciled around 2009, which paved the way for Take That to reunite for a hugely successful comeback in 2010.

On stage, 52-year-old Robbie admitted he’s been losing sleep and wanted to once again say sorry for how he acted with his bandmates after seeing footage of his past behavior.

He asked the audience if anyone had watched the Take That documentary. He admitted he came across as arrogant in the second episode, and said he couldn’t remember seeing anyone as self-satisfied as Robbie Williams appeared to be in that same episode.

I felt terrible about how I had treated Gary, Mark, and Howard. It really weighed on me for days, and I kept replaying it in my mind, even when I was trying to sleep. I knew I needed to apologize again.

I really want to be clear: I absolutely adore Gary Barlow now. And he seems to feel the same way about me. I’ve apologized as much as I can, though.

Robbie Williams first became famous as a member of the boy band Take That, alongside popular bandmates Gary, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, and Mark Owen.

In a new three-part documentary, Gary discusses his battle with bulimia, which began after Take That broke up in 1996, and how it was connected to his competitive relationship with Robbie.

The docuseries features clips of Robbie saying his main issue was always with Gary, and that he wanted to defeat him.

I desperately wanted to forget the band, but I couldn’t let go of the past. Even when things were difficult, I held on.

At the movie premiere, Gary discussed their old disagreement, saying he hadn’t given it much thought in years.

At our reunion, we spent hours reminiscing. I specifically remember one day leaving feeling completely relieved and unburdened after we’d talked everything through.

I hadn’t given it another thought because it hadn’t been necessary, but suddenly it all came flooding back. It was a difficult period.

Gary explained that people were unsupportive of him due to concerns about both his songwriting and his weight.

I accidentally called him Blobby instead of Robbie, and I regret it. After that, I ended up bringing up things he’d done that had upset me.

‘In about 25 minutes we’d put things to bed that had haunted us for years.’

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2026-02-28 14:34