Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow is the lead vocalist and front man of pop group Take That. Born in Cheshire, he is one of Britain's most successful songwriters.

He wrote the majority of the music for Take That and is often recognised as the main talent behind the group. The band has enjoyed the successes of sixteen top 5 hits, eleven Number 1 singles and seven Number 1 albums.

After the band took a break in 1996, Barlow embarked on a solo career. His debut solo album was a success but the second one did not do as well. Take That reformed in 2006 and have enjoyed the same similar success as they did the first time round with hits such as 'Patience', 'The Flood', 'Greatest Day' and 'Rule the World'.

Gary has done a lot of work for charity over the years. He often holds events for The Prince's Trust, for example he held a concert for his 40th birthday and 20 years in the music business. It was held at the Shepherd's Bush Empire. He also arranged a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief and recruited other celebrities such as Fearne Cotton, Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole and Chris Moyles to help him. Due to his charity efforts, he was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II to organise a celebratory concert for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. The concert was a massive success and Barlow was praised by members of the royal family such as Prince Charles.

In 2011 Barlow became a permanent judge on the UK X Factor, replacing Simon Cowell. He has been extremely well received by viewers of the show and was the first judge to be confirmed for the 2012 series of the show.