Gary Barlow feared Take That would never tour again.

The 'Patience' group are back on the road this year with ‘This Life On Tour’ in support of their latest album 'This Life’ featuring dates across the UK and Ireland, as well as Europe and Australia, but at one point, the 53-year-old songwriter was worried the group might never get back on stage again.

He told heat magazine: “We’re all relieved [to be back on tour]. There was definitely a moment three or four years ago when we thought: ‘Will we ever be back onstage again?’

“So it was a huge relief to go back on tour. We’ve been hugely ambitious, and we’re really proud to be playing the amount of dates we’re playing. It’s been terrific so far”.

Bandmate Mark Owen added that they are all incredibly proud of the way their live shows have evolved over the years.

He told the publication: “The tour brings us all together … The creative process of us going on the road is the part that we really enjoy - it’s something we take great pride in …

“As time has gone on … we started seeing ourselves more like a brand. We started to look into new ways of presenting ourselves because we can’t spin on our heads any more - we’re too old! The wonderful thing about being in Take That for 35 years now is the growth that we, as a band, have made over that time.”

It comes after Gary previously admitted he was keen to include virtual reality in the concerts after seeing U2 perform an innovative show at the Sphere venue in Las Vegas which features a 160,000 sq ft LED screen wrapped around the auditorium.

Gary told the Sunday Mirror newspaper of seeing U2: “When the screen came on, 18,000 people breathed in. Things like the Sphere, or headsets and VR are going to move our music on.

"Imagine coming to our gig and everyone’s got those goggles on … that’s where I think the improvements are going to come.

"We’ve been listening to music a long time, then we had videos to accompany the music. What’s next? I think experiences are going to get bigger.”