Gary Barlow praised for Olympic performance
Gary Barlow has been praised by fellow celebrities for performing at the Olympics Closing Ceremony after his fourth child was stillborn last weekend. Take That helped end the London Games, with the band wearing military-style uniforms to sing Rule The World. Singer Lily Allen tweeted about the appearance: "I don't know how Gary Barlow does it. What a guy, seriously brave." Daybreak's Lorraine Kelly said: "Good on Gary Barlow for performing at such a tough time for him and his family." This Morning presenter Philip Schofield tweeted: "This is so brilliant. Tough moment for Gary but beautifully done." His co-presenter Holly Willoughby added: "Gary... don't know how to put it into words... Xxx". Take That - who joined a line-up which included a Spice Girls reunion, current chart stars One Direction and Jessie J, and music legends The Who and Queen, performed at a crucial point in the show, just before the Olympic Cauldron was extinguished. Their place on the star-studded guest list had been in doubt because of Gary's personal tragedy. Another celeb who felt moved to tweet was musical star Denise Van Outen, who wrote: "So moving. Gary is amazing for doing this". Talk show host Piers Morgan added: "I don't know how Gary Barlow's had the strength to do this tonight - RIP his poor little girl. Poppy." Baby Poppy was delivered stillborn when Gary's wife, former dancer Dawn, was eight months pregnant.
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.