Gary Barlow has become a bit of a loner during this year's X Factor auditions after reportedly insisting on eating away from his fellow judges to avoid piling on the pounds.

The star topped the scales at 17 stone after Take That split up in the 1990s, but he embraced a healthy new lifestyle when they made their comeback and is now sporting a slimline figure.

Gary ensures he stays on track by eating on his own away from show boss Simon Cowell and co-judges Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh during meal breaks at The X Factor auditions.

The Sun reports Gary has special carrot, beetroot and lemongrass smoothies brought to him, and he has banned sugar, caffeine and milk from his diet - drinking just peppermint tea instead.

A source tells the publication: "It's fair to say he is obsessive about his food and will do whatever it takes to avoid temptation. He has even requested he sit away from the other judges when they eat so he is not distracted from his vegetables and lean protein meals. Simon thinks it's hilarious."

Gary opened up about his massive weight loss during an interview last year, revealing: "The key to me when I lost all my weight was portion sizes. You can nearly eat what you want if you don't eat enormous portions. I think if you can control your portion size you've cracked it.

"I used to wake up awful early on a Saturday to get started (on treats), you could eat what you want. What I discovered is I made such a pig of myself on a Saturday, it was quite repulsive. I thought, 'I don't want to be this,'... so after a few weeks (on) the Saturdays the food got less and less. Now it's just part of life for me, I know when I'm full and know when I should stop eating."

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