Gary Barlow has "never, ever been cool"

He said: “Throughout my whole life I’ve never, ever been cool — I wasn’t cool at school or as a teenager.

"It’s just never been part of my world. I’ve always loved mainstream music so it’s never been something I’ve chased. The one thing I chase is being successful.”

Gary's motivation for success is to give his and wife Dawn's three children, Daniel, 21, Emily, 19, and 12-year-old Daisy, a "good life".

He told the Times' Weekend magazine: “The reason I’m still here, wearing that sparkled shirt, is I want them to have a good life.

"I have an extraordinary life that takes me to places and lets me meet people you never dream of. If they can enjoy some of those thrills — come on board.”

The 50-year-old singer has a "pretty traditional" marriage to Dawn and insisted they never argued, though their children clash regularly.

He said: "I found the right person in an industry where there’s a lot of wrong people.

"We’re a pretty traditional couple: I’m the one who goes to work, and my wife was happy giving up her job to bring up our kids. She’s never hit me over the head with, ‘You’re never here, so what do you know?’ We just love each other a lot."

Asked if they argue, he said: "“We don’t. My mum and dad were the same — they were 43 years married and I never heard an argument in our house. I know it’s unusual, but we’re just very laid-back people — we look after each other.

“But the kids’ arguments fill the gap. It’s no fairy doll’s house we live in. Dawn and I have come to the conclusion that toddlers and kids are easy, but teenagers . . . ”