Gary Barlow's pal shares star and giant son's reaction to brutal height memes

Gary Barlow’s champion pal has revealed however they person supported each different done life’s highs and lows successful implicit 30 years of friendship.

Top songwriter Eliot Kennedy and popular set Take That ’s beforehand antheral Gary bonded implicit their emotion of penning and hilarious aboriginal days erstwhile they played successful moving men’s clubs successful the northbound of England.

"Gaz and I were teenagers honing our philharmonic craftsmanship successful the toughest of environments - the clubs," laughs Eliot.

"He played implicit successful the northbound westbound portion I toiled successful the smoke-filled performance rooms successful Yorkshire. We’d beryllium the acts slotted betwixt the bingo and pastry and peas! And boy, we knew our spot there!

"It was the finest grooming crushed you could get arsenic you had to beryllium bully and pugnacious to survive.’

Cheshire-born Gary, 53, and Sheffield-born Eliot, 55, look this week unneurotic connected a caller ITV programme, Gary Barlow’s Wine Tour:South Africa. Over 2 1 hr agelong episodes, the duo question astir South Africa enjoying its vino and food.

"It was 2 mates getting unneurotic and having fun. It was a blast to bash and I anticipation viewers tin spot the unthinkable relationship we share."

He besides reveals Gary’s instrumentality connected his oldest lad Dan, 24, attracting nationalist attraction connected societal media aft the vocalist released a household photograph showing his 6ft 6ins tallness towering supra the 5ft 7ins dad. It inspired a slew of bully humoured pictures and memes to beryllium posted connected X by followers.

"Gaz has a large consciousness of humour. Dan is the aforesaid tallness arsenic my lad Jack, 23, and they went to the aforesaid nursery. We laughter and say, “What did they provender them there?”

"Dan is simply a large kid and he’ll person taken it each successful bully humour too."

But Eliot, lad of Dublin-born John and caregiver Pat, shares however during their pugnacious times they person been determination for each other. "When my dada died connected 11 September 2009, Gary was moving distant but I wanted him to know.

"Our relationship has meant the astir to america erstwhile we were determination for each different aft losing our dads conscionable a fewer weeks apart. We supported each different successful our grief.’

Eliot says adjacent if they were not successful amusement business, they would beryllium friends: "We person had akin bluish upbringings and some got beardown enactment ethics,’ helium says.

Both began penning songs successful their bedrooms arsenic young teens, worked successful the clubs playing antithetic instruments and occasional lighting technicians.

It’s each a agelong mode from what Eliot calls their "pinch me’ moment. "While doing the clubs, I besides worked arsenic Mr Wimpy, dressed up arsenic a burger astatine kids parties and starring them successful the hokey cokey!” helium laughs.

"I thought astir that arsenic I stood connected the signifier extracurricular Buckingham Palace for the precocious Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee day successful 2012. Gary and I produced “Sing,” the anniversary’s authoritative song.

"As we performed it connected the signifier successful beforehand of the Queen and palace, Gaz turned to maine and winked. I smiled and winked back. I knew we some were reasoning however unbelievable and magical this was.

"But that’s us, we decorativeness each other’ sentences, cognize however we enactment and erstwhile we write, we seldom are successful the aforesaid room. We’ll swap ideas, enactment connected them and past chat it through."

Eliot says helium knew erstwhile Gary went done a dark, pugnacious clip successful his vocation pursuing the 1996 interruption up of Take That that helium would propulsion through. "We went to America, travelled astir and worked together. But I ne'er doubted helium would successfully travel backmost arsenic to maine helium is the finest opus writer of our generation.’

Eliot has written for galore of the world ’s apical stars, including Aretha Franklyn, Bryan Adams, Donny Osmond, Shirley Bassey and The Spice Girls: "I knew them earlier they had a grounds deal. They were unhappy with however things were going and knew of maine truthful they drove up to Sheffield successful Geri’s clapped retired aged car.

"They didn’t cognize wherever I lived truthful parked by a reddish telephone kiosk and called each the Kennedys listed successful the telephone book. They yet got clasp maine and and turned up astatine my semi-detached house.

"They were a unit of quality then. We went our for a Chinese meal. Posh Spice Victoria Beckham had steamed vegetables - she was adjacent wellness conscious backmost then. They divied up the measure betwixt the 5 of them.

"We each went backmost to my location and they kipped connected the sofa and spare beds. We talked astir moving unneurotic and successful 1996 we co-wrote, “Say You’ll Be There,” which became my archetypal planetary success."

But determination was 1 different deed grounds that holds a peculiar spot successful Eliot’s heart. "Gaz and I individually started penning songs from the property of 13. I dreamt of having a fig 1 deed by the clip I was 25.

"Gary and I wrote and produced, “Everything Changes.” It was released connected 28 March 1994 and went consecutive to fig 1 my 25th day the adjacent day.

"Now that truly is simply a imagination travel true," helium reflects.

Gary has paid touching tribute to Eliot successful the past, saying of their singular friendship: "I archetypal met El successful Sheffield successful 1992 portion we were signaling our 2nd album, “Everything Changes.” We recorded a opus with him called Wasting My Time. He produced each our vocals and we loved his style. El is simply a maestro with harmonies.

"We’ve adjacent had him bash vocal arrangements for songs helium didn’t nutrient - “Relight My Fire” being 1 of them. He’s a talented beggar. All that is secondary to him arsenic a songsmith. His database of hits accidental it each - divers and contagious.

"Then there’s the man. Everyone who meets El loves him. I consciousness truthful fortunate that I’ve had truthful overmuch of his clip implicit the years. We laugh, geek and gossip our mode done each infinitesimal we’re together.

"He’s the 1 I telephone erstwhile I’m happy, the 1 I telephone erstwhile I’m sad, the 1 I called erstwhile my Dad died. When I request to thin connected idiosyncratic I look (up) to El!”

Eliot, who has produced 2 Broadway shows with Gary, is present moving connected a task adjacent to his location and heart. "My dada migrated from Dublin to enactment successful Sheffield. My caller musical, Home, is based connected his communicative and the iconic photograph of migrant workers sat connected a alloy girder having luncheon arsenic they physique a New York entity scraper.

"It volition unfastened successful Sheffield adjacent year,” says the arrogant Yorkshire man.