A new Netflix documentary is set to reveal the profound personal toll Take That's initial breakup took on its members, with Howard Donald candidly discussing a moment he contemplated suicide.
The Emotional Fallout of a Boy Band's End
The three-part series, titled Take That, uses 35 years of rare archive footage to tell the story of the iconic UK group. It features Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, and Robbie Williams detailing how the band's dizzying highs and sudden lows changed their lives forever.
The band's first split in February 1996, after years of sold-out shows and chart dominance, had harrowing consequences for some members. The documentary, which premieres on January 27, shows the group reflecting on the "emotional month" that followed their final live performance in front of a distraught audience.
Howard Donald's Personal Struggle
Howard Donald admitted he was hit the hardest by the dissolution. He described feeling untrained for anything beyond life in the spotlight, having previously worked as a paint sprayer. "It hit me the hardest," Donald shares. "I'm only trained at being a popstar... So it hit me quite hard."
He felt left behind while his bandmates moved on, stating, "I feel like I was the only one that didn't grow up and everyone else did, even though I was the oldest." The documentary shows poignant footage of a distressed Donald in bed and wiping away tears.
Losing his "superhero" stage identity plunged him into a depressive state. Donald reveals he went to the River Thames with suicidal intentions. "I was seriously thinking of jumping into the Thames thinking I wanted to kill myself," he confesses, "but I'm just too much of a s*** bag to do it."
From Crisis to Comeback
The documentary also captures the chaotic final days, with hysterical fans besieging the band's Amsterdam hotel. Gary Barlow recalls the palpable finality, saying, "There was something in the air on that last day, it felt real all of a sudden. Our world had come to a close."
The story, however, does not end in 1996. The film covers the band's reformation with Barlow, Owen, and Donald, their upcoming tenth studio album, and the planned Circus Live tour for this summer.
The series Take That premieres globally on Netflix on January 27, 2026.
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