Gary Barlow has opened up on the pain of losing his daughter, Poppy.
The former Take That singer, 47, and his wife Dawn lost Poppy when she was stillborn at full term days before he was due to perform at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012.
In an extract of his upcoming autobiography, A Better Me, obtained by The Sun, Gary discussed the “incomprehensible” pain of saying goodbye to his daughter on August 4 2012.
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He wrote: “When she was born it was like a light came into the room. It was lovely, it was gorgeous, we both took turns cuddling her, and we took pictures. It was one of the best hours of my life I’ve ever experienced in the midst of the hardest time of my life.
“Poppy looked perfect and for an hour she was alive to us. She’s in your arms, this beautiful little daughter of ours, a sister to our three other children.
“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.”
He added 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”.
The star said he hopes that sharing his story will help other people going through or that have been through a similar situation.
Gary married Dawn in 2000 and the couple have three other children – Daniel, 18, Emily, 16, and nine-year-old Daisy.
The couple revealed in 2012 that they had tragically lost Poppy after she was delivered stillborn.
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In a statement Gary said at the time: “Dawn and I are devastated to announce they we’ve lost our baby.
“Poppy Barlow was delivered stillborn on August 4 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.”
Meanwhile, in January, Gary and Dawn celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary.
He shared a picture of himself and Dawn together from more than 20 years ago and wrote: “Stronger than we’ve ever been. Here’s to the rest of our lives.”
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