Gary Barlow says Heartbeat role was his 'worst' career move as he earns 78p a year from the cameo

GARY Barlow has confessed his one-time acting job on drama Heartbeat was 'the worst thing' he's ever done.

The 50-year-old starred on the ITV cop show's 150th episode in 2000 as a hitchhiker named Micky Shannon who ran into difficulties as he visited Aidensfield.

And while he cringed at his acting past, the Shine hitmaker revealed that he still earns royalties from his cameo on the series – making a whole 78p from it last year.

The Take That star told music week: "Oh f**king hell! I swear that thing will not leave me.

"It’s funny, when it gets repeated on something like Gold I get a cheque. And I got one this year for 78p, so it wasn’t even a financial decision!

"It was just one of the worst things I’ve ever done, it really was."

Fortunately for Gary, he didn't need to continue his foray into acting as Take That reunited in 2005 and released Patience a year later while Heartbeat came to an end in 2010 after 18 years on-air.

Elsewhere, Gary said he hit 18 stone after binging on Chinese takeaways as James Corden asked him for weight loss tips during an interview in November.

The Take That star said he had a "rough period with food" that caused him to pile on the pounds.

Speaking to James Corden on Zoom ahead of their duet on Gary's new album, Gary said: "I had a rough period with food that I’m not proud of, where I really lost control of myself.

"I remember one particular day just thinking: “How have I got here?” I was just so disappointed with myself. 

"So coming back from somewhere like that is a bit more serious than: “Oh, I want to lose a couple of stone here.” It was more of a condition that just couldn’t continue.

"So it started there for me and I turned my brain on to sorting out what I ate. The trouble is the food I love — Chinese, chips, crisps. They were giving me a couple minutes of a food coma, taking me out of the real world. It’s just not good, that.

"So I decided not to have cheat days, and just stay away from those foods. I’d love to have the odd cigarette now and then but I can’t. I can’t start smoking again."

Gary has been open about his weight loss battle and admitted to keeping a photo from his heavier days as a reminder to stick to his healthy regime.

However, he told James the best way to stay on track is by having a food diary.

Source: Read Full Article