A Better Me

"This is the book I wished I'd had to turn to." —Gary Barlow

Gary Barlow is one of the most successful British musicians and songwriters of all time, but 15 years ago, as he himself admits, he hit rock bottom—he was out of shape, out of work, depressed. Food for him had become an addiction, a means not only of comfort but almost of self-medication as he grappled with the cruel twists of fate of musical stardom. In 2003, as he struggled with the disappointment of an underperforming solo career alongside the tireless media taunts; Gary turned to food. Relentlessly. In the space of nine years he had been on 20 diets in the hopes of a resolution to all his woes. After asking the doctor what the "cure" for obesity was, it sunk in that he was the only one who could take control of his health. Gary describes this realization and the task that lay ahead—"it was like being at the foot of a massive mountain." So how did he go from an obese, out-of-work and depressed pop icon, to a superstar of music and TV and an accomplished musical songwriter and producer who is full of vitality, fitter, happier, and more successful than ever before. What happened? In his extraordinarily honest memoir A Better Me, Gary tells of his journey back to professional success and mental and physical health. From reforming Take That to critical and commercial acclaim and reigniting his own legendary songwriting career; to overcoming his weight problems and crippling obsession with food; to TV judging panel stardom on The X Factor and Let It Shine and at last finding balance in both his personal and professional life. A Better Me is a remarkably frank memoir of Gary's life as he battled with weight, stress, fitness, and depression, and staged one of the most thrilling professional comebacks in years. In his warm, witty, and authentic voice, he recounts his story with compelling insight, captivating honesty and a human side that people rarely see. Here is one of the UK's most beloved pop stars open, honest, and raw and as we've never seen him before.

Gary Barlow is a British singer-songwriter and record producer who found worldwide fame as a member of British pop group Take That. Since forming in 1989 Take That have won eight BRIT awards, sold over 45 million records and over eight million concert tickets. Gary is one of Britain's most successful songwriters, having written 15 Number One singles and being a six-time recipient of an Ivor Novello Award. Aside from his achievements with Take That, he has also co-written and produced music for other renowned artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Elton John and Robbie Williams. Gary has released three solo albums over the course of his career, the last of which 'Since I Saw You Last' (his first solo album in over 14 years) became the ninth biggest selling album of the year in the UK with sales of more than 600,000. In 2011 Gary also firmly established himself in the world of UK TV when he agreed to be the Head Judge on The X Factor. A position he held for three years. He then went on to make two documentaries: 'Journey To Afghanistan' and 'On Her Majesty's Service'. In 2016/17 he conceived, produced and starred in his own talent show for the BBC, 'Let It Shine' which sort to find a boy band to be the stars of a new musical. In more recent years, Gary has also turned his attention to the world of theater, composing the score for the hugely successful Finding Neverland and working alongside screenwriter Tim Firth to write the music and lyrics for musical 'The Girls'? and also more recently working alongside his Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Robbie Williams to produce 'The Band' a record breaking musical featuring the music of Take That. Gary has also worked closely with a number of charities and key events in recent years including twice organizing and performing at BBC Children In Need Rocks. He also organized the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which were held in front of the palace in 2012.