Take That star Howard Donald, 57, gets back on his unicycle for the first time in 26 years as the band pull out ALL the stops to get in shape after ahead of The Circus: Live Tour

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Howard Donald got a little emotional while reminiscing about the past as Take That geared up for their new stadium tour on Thursday.

The band plans to tour the UK and Ireland in the summer of 2026, bringing back a beloved tour to celebrate their new album release.

Taking its name partly from their 2008 album, The Circus tour quickly became the best-selling tour ever. Over 600,000 tickets were sold in less than five hours when it first launched in 2009.

Take That, featuring Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald, are aiming to recapture their former glory. They’re bringing back the impressive stage designs, outfits, and props from their previous tours – including Howard Donald’s memorable unicycle – hoping to achieve the same success they had during their 20 sold-out shows.

The 57-year-old singer shared a video on Instagram Thursday showing him confidently riding a one-wheeled bike for the first time in over 26 years, proving he’s still nimble.

Howard was lucky to avoid falling when he briefly separated from his wife, Katie Halil, who was watching him practice riding through a hallway on his own.

Evidently pleased with the effort, he joked: ‘There you go, it’s like riding a bike!’ 

Gary, 54, a member of the band, shared that he’s working hard to get in shape before their big stadium concerts next summer in 2026.

The singer shared a look at his visit to Lanserhof, a high-end wellness clinic in London, on his Instagram Stories Monday. Memberships to the clinic are very expensive, costing £6,500 per year with an additional £1,500 sign-up fee.

Gary was suddenly visible, jogging on a treadmill and wearing a mask used to measure his maximum oxygen uptake, all while dressed in comfortable workout clothes.

Another image depicted him running on a treadmill, with the text ‘6 months until the Circus Tour’ added to it.

Take That announced in September that they’re planning a tour in the summer of 2026, and they’ll be releasing a new album later that year.

Take That – featuring Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald – first performed this tour in 2009, and it quickly became the best-selling tour of all time, selling over 600,000 tickets in less than five hours. However, Jason Orange, who left the group in 2014, won’t be participating this time around.

After a 17-year hiatus, the group has returned with an even more spectacular show! This time, they featured fire-breathers, stilt-walkers, and a massive 30-foot mechanical elephant that paraded them through the crowd.

After the announcement, the band shared that their ‘Circus’ tour was a highlight for them, and they’ve often discussed the possibility of revisiting it in the future.

We’re thrilled to announce that The Circus Live is coming to the UK and Ireland next summer! We can’t wait to share the show with both returning and new audiences. We hope to see you there!

The tour begins in Southampton on May 29th, and will then visit cities including Coventry, Sunderland, Glasgow, Cardiff, and Manchester. It will conclude with two shows at the London Stadium, a venue the band famously played during the 2012 Olympics.

Oh my gosh, you guys, they’re doing the whole ‘Circus’ album live! Like, the original setlist from 2009! I’m already losing it! But get this – they said there will be some new stuff too, some surprises! I have NO idea what it could be and I’m dying to find out! It’s going to be epic, I just know it!

The Script, an Irish band that previously opened for Take That, will join them again as a special guest on their upcoming UK tour, along with Belinda Carlisle.

During an interview on HEART 90s with Kevin Hughes, Gary announced that the band’s tenth album is expected to come out towards the end of next year.

We’re currently working on something new and plan to include it, possibly near the end.

‘But yeah, excited for next year. Definitely in that album mode at the moment. 

Oh my gosh, I’m practically bursting with excitement! They said, and I quote, that hopefully by the end of next year we’ll finally get to see something! They’re working on it right now – can you believe it?! I’m counting down the days, seriously!

My bandmate Mark said it’s incredible, and we’re all really excited. We’re already starting to plan our next album and thinking a lot about how we want it to sound and feel – we want to make something truly special.

What’s great is that we’ll be working together, attempting something challenging like learning to ride unicycles, and aiming to achieve a goal along the way.

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2025-12-18 18:19