Gary and Robbie: their rocky relationship through the years

Gary and Robbie: their rocky relationship through the years - Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams. Some say they're the Lennon-McCartney of the boy band era. The Take That members have quite a rocky relationship, involving fans, feuds and broken friendships. With Robbie Williams due to join 'The X Factor', we look back at their crazy careers. Here's the duo's story through pictures, with references to 'Robbie and Gary: It's Complicated' by Paul Scott.

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Centre of attention - When Nigel Martin-Smith helped form Take That in 1990, Gary Barlow was the centre of attention.

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Backup dancers? - Robbie Williams would later imply the other members were basically backup dancers.

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Drama kid - Williams was just 16, the youngest of the bunch. While Barlow was a talented young musician, Robbie was more of a drama kid.

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Ebenezer - Barlow was apparently a big stinge in the band’s early days. Some say he even charged the band £1,000 a week to use his keyboards. Robbie gave Gary the nickname “Ebenezer” as a result.

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Behind closed doors - Meanwhile, Robbie himself was struggling with drug addiction. At the MTV Europe Music Awards, he needed an injection of penicillin before performing.

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Commit or leave - After that, Barlow apparently told Robbie: “commit to the band or leave”.

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Robbie leaves Take That - Williams walked out, saying he didn’t want to be Barlow’s “backing dancer”.

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Not friends - Robbie told the press “We used to say in interviews that if we weren’t in Take That we would still have been mates. I’m sorry to say that just isn’t true”.

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Going solo - The comments continued with Robbie saying he was a “prisoner for six years”. He also called Barlow “selfish, stupid and greedy”. So, the two started their solo careers.

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Gary's great start - Gary got a great start with debut single ‘Forever Love’, which went number one. “I do wonder if that’s the source of his feelings...I probably made six times more than they did”, Barlow told the press.

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Saved by 'Angels' - That later changed. In 1997, Robbie got to work with songwriter Guy Chambers, emerging with the smash hit ‘Angels’.

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Gary reflects - Barlow revealed that “at that moment I was both happy and sad. Sad because I didn’t have anything like ‘Angels’ in the bag and happy because I thought that maybe now Rob had a smash hit on the way, he would leave me alone”.

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Robbie overtakes - In no time at all, Robbie had a number one album and won three Brit Awards.

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Gary falls behind - Gary’s career took a bit of a nose dive. After Robbie had four sell-out shows at the Scottish Exhibition in Glasgow, Barlow had to cancel his performance there due to lack of interest.

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More banter - Barlow’s second album, ‘Twelve Months, Eleven Days’, peaked at number 35 on the albums chart. Robbie apparently bought a copy, but claimed he took it back for a refund.

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"You’re the winner, hands down" - Gary was dropped from his record company. He’s quoted as saying “I can imagine the chat they’ll be having in Robbie-land tonight. The cheers, wolf whistles and belly laughs. There’s no question now, mate, you’re the winner, hands down”.

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Into hiding - Barlow went into hiding, putting on weight and reportedly spiralling deep into depression.

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Robbie enjoys his success - On the other hand, Robbie was enjoying his success.

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Getting the band back together - Gary Barlow slimmed down and aimed to get the band together, with new songs and bold new plans.

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The 'Ultimate Tour' - Take That reunited, and embarked on a sell-out ‘Ultimate Tour’ in 2006. They also had two number one singles, ‘Patience’ and ‘Beautiful World’.

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Fighting demons - Meanwhile, Robbie had checked into rehab and was battling drug addiction.

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Robbie rejoins - In 2010, the two reunited, and Williams was asked to join Take That. Of course, Robbie obliged.

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Back with a bang - The band’s next album, ‘Progress’, was the fastest-selling record of the century at the time.

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"He gets stuff done, I don’t” - Williams mused on the reunion, saying “Gary is kind of unemotional about stuff, I’m emotional about stuff. He’s solid; I’m fickle. He gets stuff done, I don’t”.

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'Shame' - The two also collaborated for ‘Shame’, a duet that hit number two on the UK Singles chart.

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Robbie leaves again - However, Williams left the band just one year later. He had signed a new deal with Island Records.

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Collaborating with The Queen? - Robbie opened up the Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012. Gary Barlow co-organised the event, showing that there was still a relationship between the two.

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Number one - Williams enjoyed a revived solo career, with number one single ‘Candy’ and album ‘Take the Crown’.

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Gary joins 'The X Factor' - Meanwhile, Gary Barlow joined ‘The X Factor’ in 2011. He was a judge for three successful series, leaving the show in 2013.

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Will they or won't they? - Last year, Gary Barlow said Robbie Williams was welcome to return to Take That any time he liked.

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Only time will tell - With a recent World Cup performance, and a successful solo career, who knows when Robbie Williams will reunite with Gary Barlow?

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