Gary Barlow may have skipped The X Factor launch on Thursday as he mourns the loss of his daughter, but he proved fans are clearly still on his mind by sending them a special message as the show kicked off.
The Take That star's wife Dawn gave birth to a stillborn baby, named Poppy, on 4 August and the couple and their three children have been in mourning.
Gary took his mind off the tragedy by performing as planned with his band at the London Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday, but he cancelled his planned work with The X Factor this week to recover from his loss.
Judges Tulisa Contostavlos, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger, as well as host Dermot O'Leary, Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack and singer Sinitta, all attended the glitzy London launch - but Gary made sure his fans didn't miss out in his absence.
In a message, he declared: "Thanks for all the support. I'll be watching the show at home on Saturday with my family and I know you're going to love it.
"The talent is amazing this year and I'm looking forward to working with and mentoring my acts at judges' homes and on the live shows."
His co-judges also offered up their support to their friend.
Louis says: "We've all spoken to Gary, we're all in touch with him all the time", while N-Dubz star Tulisa adds: "He knows all of our thoughts are with him."
The upcoming series is set to be a fiery one, with former Spice Girls stars Geri Halliwell and Melanie Brown both guest judging during auditions - but it was Scary Spice who is the one to watch.
Nicole hints: "She is pretty scary", and Tulisa adds: "There are going to be moments. You either love her or hate her on the show."
> IN PICS: THE X FACTOR PRESS LAUNCH
