Gary Barlow and his wife left ‘devastated’ after baby stillborn

Published on 07/08/2012 01:22

POP star Gary Barlow and his wife last night announced they are mourning the loss of their baby daughter.

The couple revealed that their baby, Poppy, was delivered stillborn in London on Saturday. The Take That singer’s wife, Dawn, was eight and a half months pregnant.

In a statement, the judge on ITV’s The X Factor said: “Dawn and I are devastated to announce we’ve lost our baby. Poppy
Barlow was delivered stillborn on 4 August in London.

“Our focus now is giving 
her a beautiful funeral and loving our three children with all our hearts. We’d ask at this painful time that our privacy be 
respected.”

The star had previously told how he was looking forward to becoming a father for the fourth time with his wife, 42, who is a dancer.

Take That have been rumoured to be among the acts
set to perform at the closing
ceremony of the London Olympics on Sunday.

Mr Barlow, 41, announced in February that his wife was
expecting.

In April, Mr Barlow, already a father to Daniel, 11, Emily, ten, and Daisy, three, wrote on
Twitter: “There’s gonna be
another girl in the Barlow household!”

On 5 July, the musician tweeted that Poppy was due 
to be born in seven weeks’ time. Speaking at the time, he told fans: “We are a very excited 
family.”

He was recently asked by a fan on his band’s website how his wife was, and he replied: “gr8 tanx [sic], 7 weeks to go.”

Mr Barlow organised the huge concert outside Buckingham Palace held in June to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

He was recently voted Celebrity Dad of the Year 2012 in a poll run by Premier Inn. He beat the Australian singer Peter Andre and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Commenting on the award, voted for by the public, he said: “I’ve been waiting for it for a long time.

“My kids are really excited, and I don’t think they can quite believe it,” Mr Barlow said. “Being a dad is a really important part of my life, and it
means a lot to have won this award.”

Mr Barlow and his wife, who was a dancer for Take That, tied the knot in 2000 after five years together.

Take That bandmate Mark Owen announced the birth of a baby daughter two weeks ago.

About 4,000 babies are 
stillborn in the UK each year and many of the deaths have no obvious cause, according to Tommy’s, the charity that funds research into pregnancies which end prematurely.