Gary Barlow: 'It's lovely to be 40'

Take That star Gary Barlow has admitted that he loves being 40.

The singer, who celebrated his 40th birthday with a special gig earlier this year, told The Sun that he had not set a limit on how long he wanted to stay in the music industry.

"People still find it hard to believe I'm 40," Barlow said. "Actually I'm not bothered about age. I'm really happy and it's lovely to be 40, I'd recommend it to anyone.

"Music is a young person's industry but you want a few of the older bands like us around. We don't have a plan for how long it is going to last."

However, Barlow's bandmate Howard Donald, 43, confessed that getting old is a "sensitive" issue for himself.

"I am very sensitive about my age. Gary will make jokes that I'm 46 or 47 and it really p*sses me off," he said. "I feel like I'm still fit enough to go on, I don't feel my age."

A more optimistic Mark Owen, 39, added: "I'm pleased we have got this far through our lives - almost halfway hopefully, that's quite an achievement."

The Progress stars kick off their new tour in Sunderland on May 27.

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