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Gary Barlow reveals how he coped with grief after daughter’s death

They lost their little girl in 2012

Gary Barlow has said he had to ‘step up’ as a husband and look after his wife Dawn following the death of their daughter, Poppy.

The former Take That singer, 47, and his wife Dawn lost Poppy when she was stillborn at full term days before Gary was due to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.

In an interview with Lorraine’s Ross King on Tuesday, Gary said his main priority after losing Poppy was being there for his “amazing” wife.

Gary Barlow on Lorraine
Gary said he had to step up as a husband and take care of his wife Dawn when they lost their daughter (Credit: ITV)

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Speaking about the heartbreaking moment they lost their baby daughter, Gary said: “The way I was thinking around Poppy’s death was, I’ve got to look after Dawn.

“It wasn’t about me, it was about her and me stepping up as a husband. When you say you are going to be together and you take those vows, you look after your partner, that’s just what you do.”

He added: “That’s how you react in that situation. She’s just amazing.”

Gary also spoke about having to perform at the London Olympics after losing his daughter.

Gary Barlow and wife Dawn
Gary said he and Dawn are at a point now where they are “rediscovering” each other (Credit: Instagram)

He admitted: “It felt like a job, I’ve just got to get on and got to get off again. It was really going through the motions for me, I was in my own world.

“I never watched it back. I don’t know what was going on in my head. It was tough.”

Gary also said that now their three older children – son Daniel, 18, daughter Emily, 16, and nine-year-old daughter Daisy – are growing up, he and Dawn are hitting a “brilliant” time in their lives where they are rediscovering each other again and becoming closer.

Gary Barlow on Lorraine
The star said it was “tough” to perform at the Olympics after his daughter’s death (Credit: ITV)

The singer has been busy promoting his new autobiography A Better Me, in which he details the heartbreaking moment he watched Dawn holding Poppy.

In an extract of his upcoming autobiography, obtained by The Sun, Gary said that there was “no sadder sight” than seeing “a mum with her dead baby in her arms, willing it back to life with all her being”.

Gary said: “When she was born it was like a light came into the room. It was one of the best hours of my life I’ve ever experienced in the midst of the hardest time of my life.

Gary Barlow and his wife and kids
Dawn and Gary have three other children (Credit: Instagram)

Read more: Gary Barlow opens up on “incomprehensible” pain of losing daughter

“Then the reality comes rushing into the room and all the air leaves your lungs. It felt like someone had a hand held tight at my throat.

“The nurses start hovering and they want to take her away. What we experienced and saw over those 24 hours, no-one should have to see or have to go through.”

The star said he hopes that sharing his story will help other people going through or that have been through a similar situation.

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Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)

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