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20 Years Ago Today... Robbie Williams Quit Take That, Broke A Million Hearts, Lost £1Million And Made Mark Owen Cry

20 Years Ago Today... Robbie Broke A Million Hearts, Including Mark Owen's
Caroline Frost

20 years ago today... Robbie Williams broke a million hearts, when he officially said goodbye to Take That.

Robbie announced his departure on this day in July 1995, but the writing had been on the wall for a while with friction between him and his bandmates Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald.

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Robbie Williams was one of the founding members of Take That, but he left acrimoniously in 1995

According to the documentary 'For the Record', Robbie had been unhappy with his musical ideas not being taken seriously by lead singer Barlow and Nigel Martin-Smith, because his desire to explore hip hop and rap conflicted with the band's usual ballads. Barlow explained in interviews that Williams had given up trying to offer creative input and merely did as he was told.

Robbie later told BBC Radio 4 Mastertapes that he neither left, nor was sacked, it was a combination of both.

"It was a bit of both. At the time I was drinking really heavily - and very young," he remembered.

"I said to the boys, 'This will be my last tour.' We went for a curry the night before everything happened and we were taking a competition winner for a curry. It mustn't have been a very nice evening for them!

"I went back to the hotel and got drunk again, got up the next day, went into rehearsals and I wasn't in a very good way."

He continued: "During the afternoon, Jason Orange said, 'Bob, we need to sit you down and have a chat.'

"'So you're going to leave after this tour and what we've decided is, we think it's best you go now, so we can prove we can do this as a four-piece. What do you think?'

"That was the opening of the door. That's all I needed."

If fans were desolate, so were his former bandmates, with Mark Owen later telling a chat show about the last time he cried, "When Rob left."

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Robbie Williams was reunited with Gary in 2010

But, if fans might have thought that was the beginning of the end for their favourite band, actually it just turned out to be a gigantic pause. Although the band split the following year, they reformed in 2006 and enjoyed an incredibly successful comeback with hits including 'Patience', 'Shine' and 'Greatest Day'.

And fans' hearts were finally healed completely when Robbie came back into the fold in 2010, joining the other four to write the album 'Progress', which they went on to perform on a massive tour, incorporating hits from all the different eras of Take That and Robbie's respective careers.

These days, the band are a three-piece of Gary, Mark and Howard. Jason left last year, and Robbie continues his solo career, although he recently admitted he previously retired for a while... and nobody noticed. Last month, he attended a gig of his former bandmates at the O2 Arena, and paid tribute to this with this pic...

Click here for our top 5 most traumatic band split press conferences... which one left you the most bruised?

Take That through the years
BRITAIN(01 of42)
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***File*** British pop band Take That, Gary Barlow,left, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange , right, arrive at The Royal Variety performance in London, Monday Dec. 4, 2006. Boygroup Take That announced their comeback in the original line up with Robbie Williams on Thursday, July 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool) (credit:APN)
BUNTE PERSONALITY TAKE THAT(02 of42)
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** ARCHIV ** Die Mitglieder der Band 'Take That', Gary Barlow, Marc Owen, Jason Orange, Howard Donald, von links, posieren am 21. Oktober 2006 zur Show "50 Jahre Bravo" in Hamburg. Robbie Williams und die anderen Mitglieder von Take That haben am Donnerstag, 15. Juli 2010, ihr Comeback in Originalbesetzung bekannt gegeben. (AP Photo/Kai-Uwe Knoth) (credit:APN)
BRITAIN TAKE THAT(03 of42)
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Gary Barlow, left, and Mark Owen members of the band 'Take That' perform on their opening night to kick off their reunion tour at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England Sunday April 23, 2006. The band split up in 1996 and now 10 years on they have decided to perform as a group again without Robbie Williams.(AP Photo/Scott Heppell) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Take That pose backstage at The National Movie Awards 2011(04 of42)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 11: L-R Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams and Jason Orange of Take That pose backstage prior to performing at the National Movie Awards 2011 at Wembley arena on May 11, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave J Hogan via Getty Images)
Echo Award 2011(05 of42)
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BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 24: Jason Orange, Robbie Williams, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen of the band 'Take That' pose with their awards at the Echo Awards 2011 at Palais am Funkturm on March 24, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by James Coldrey/WireImage) (credit:James Coldrey via Getty Images)
Echo Award 2011 - Show(06 of42)
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BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 24: (From L to R) Robbie Williams, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Jason Orange of 'Take That' receive their International Band Rock/Pop Award at the Echo Awards 2011 at Palais am Funkturm on March 24, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) (credit:Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
Echo Award 2011 - Show(07 of42)
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BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 24: (From l to R) Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams of 'Take That' perform at the Echo Awards 2011 at Palais am Funkturm on March 24, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) (credit:Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
Echo Award 2011 - Show(08 of42)
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BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 24: Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams of 'Take That' perform at the Echo Awards 2011 at Palais am Funkturm on March 24, 2011 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) (credit:Sean Gallup via Getty Images)
(From L) Jason Orange, Robbie Williams,(09 of42)
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(From L) Jason Orange, Robbie Williams, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen of Take That pose with their Echo received in the category 'Best International Rock/Pop group' at the 'Echo' music awards in Berlin on March 24, 2011. AFP PHOTO / JOHN MACDOUGALL (Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:JOHN MACDOUGALL via Getty Images)
Sanremo 2011 - The 61st Italian Song Festival: February 18 2011(10 of42)
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Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams of the British band 'Take That' perform the 61th Sanremo Song Festival at the Ariston Theatre on February 18, 2011 in San Remo, Italy. (Photo by Venturelli/WireImage) (credit:Venturelli via Getty Images)
The BRIT Awards 2011 - Show(11 of42)
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Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Robbie Williams of Take That perform onstage at The Brit Awards 2011 held at The O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. (credit:Matt Kent via Getty Images)
The BRIT Awards 2011 - Show(12 of42)
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Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams of Take That perform on stage at the The BRIT Awards 2011 at O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. (credit:Matt Kent via Getty Images)
The BRIT Awards 2011 - Show(13 of42)
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Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Robbie Williams of Take That perform onstage at The Brit Awards 2011 held at The O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. (credit:Matt Kent via Getty Images)
Orange leaves Take That(14 of42)
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File photo dated 27/10/2010 of Take That (left to right) Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams leaving Radio 1 in central London. Orange has revealed that he has quit the group. (credit:Yui Mok/PA Wire)
L'Oreal National Movie Awards - Show - London(15 of42)
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(left to right) Mark Owen, Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow of Take That on stage during the 2011 National Movie Awards at Wembley Arena, London (credit:Yui Mok/PA Archive)
Prince and Duchess attend Royal Variety Performance(16 of42)
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The Prince of Wales meets (from left to right) Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Robbie Williams, Howard Donald and Mark Owen of Take That as he arrives to attend the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium, in London. (credit:Eddie Keogh/PA Archive)
Take That tour announcement - London(17 of42)
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(From the left) Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen and Gary Barlow of Take That during a photocall in London, where they announced their first tour as a complete group in 16 years. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive)
Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams At Radio 1 - London(18 of42)
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Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams arriving at Radio 1 to promote their new duet 'Shame', London. (credit:Doug Peters/Doug Peters)
The BRIT Awards 2011 - Show(19 of42)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 15: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) Robbie Williams, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen of Take That perform on stage during The BRIT Awards 2011 at the O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images) (credit:Dave M. Benett via Getty Images)
The BRIT Awards 2011 - Show(20 of42)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 15: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Jason Orange of Take That perform on stage during The BRIT Awards 2011 at the O2 Arena on February 15, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images) (credit:Dave M. Benett via Getty Images)
"X Factor" Italian TV Show Final(21 of42)
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MILAN, ITALY - NOVEMBER 23: (L-R) Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Robbie Williams of Take That perform during the 'X Factor' Italian TV Show Final held at RAI Studios on November 23, 2010 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Stefania D'Alessandro/Getty Images) (credit:Stefania D'Alessandro via Getty Images)
The Q Awards 2010 - Press Room(22 of42)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen and Jason Orange of Take That pose in the press room at the Q Awards 2010 held at The Grosvenor House Hotel on October 25, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
The Q Awards 2010 - Inside Arrivals(23 of42)
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LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: L-R Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Robbie Williams, Mark Owen and Gary Barlow of Take That arrive at the Q Awards 2010 held at The Grosvenor House Hotel on October 25, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That Performs In Manchester(24 of42)
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MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 04: Singers Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Jason Orange of Take That perform onstage as part of the band's Ultimate Tour 2006 at Manchester Arena on May 4, 2006 in Manchester, England. The popular group produced a number of hit singles during the 1990s before Robbie Williams's departure and the band's subsequent split in February 1996. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) (credit:Christopher Furlong via Getty Images)
Take That Opening Night In Newcastle(25 of42)
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NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, UNITED KINGDOM - APRIL 23: (L-R) Singers Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Jason Orange of Take That perform on stage at the band's opening night of their 'Ultimate Tour 2006' at Metro Radio Arena on April 23, 2006 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. The popular group, who produced a number of smash hit singles during the 1990's before Robbie Williams's departure and the band's subsequent split in February 1996, are due to perform at venues in Birmngham, Glasgow, Sheffield, Manchester, London, Belfast, Cardiff and Milton Keynes during their 29 date UK tour. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That... For The Record - Documentary Screening(26 of42)
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LONDON - NOVEMBER 14: Jason Orange, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald of 1990's boyband Take That attend a preview screening of the ITV1 documentary 'Take That... For The Record', broadcasting on November 16 on television, at the Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill Gate on November 14, 2005 in London, England. The popular group produced a number of smash hit singles in its time, selling 25 million albums, before Robbie Williams's departure and the band's subsequent split on February 13, 1996. Their Greatest hits CD/DVD package Never Forget - The Ultimate Collection, is also released today. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That(27 of42)
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Take That perform on stage at Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 16th March 1995, L-R Robbie Williams, Jason Orange, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen. (Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns) (credit:Rob Verhorst via Getty Images)
Take That Posed(28 of42)
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LONDON - JANUARY 01: Boy band Take That posed in London in 1995 L-R Mark Owen, Howard Donald (top) Gary Barlow (bottom) Robbie Williams, Jason Orange (Photo by Mike Prior/Redferns) (credit:Mike Prior via Getty Images)
Take That Visit Japan(29 of42)
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English boy band Take That visit Japan, circa 1995. From left to right, Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, circa 1995. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That Visit Japan(30 of42)
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English boy band Take That visit Japan, circa 1995. From left to right, Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, circa 1995. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That(31 of42)
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English boy band Take That visit New York, circa 1995. From left to right, Robbie Williams, Jason Orange, Mark Owen (front), Howard Donald (back) and Gary Barlow. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That(32 of42)
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English boy band Take That eating rice with chopsticks, circa 1995. From left to right, (back) Jason Orange and Robbie Williams; (centre) Mark Owen; (front) Howard Donald and Gary Barlow. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Diana And Take That(33 of42)
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Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) meets pop singer Robbie Williams (centre) and other members of boy-band Take That at a 'Concert Of Hope' AIDS benefit at Wembley Arena, London, 1st December 1994. Left to right from Williams: Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Gary Barlow. (Photo by Pool/Getty Images) (credit:Princess Diana Archive via Getty Images)
Take That(34 of42)
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English boy band Take That, circa 1994. Clockwise, from top left: Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Robbie Williams Howard Donald and Mark Owen. (Photo by Tim Roney/Getty Images) (credit:Tim Roney via Getty Images)
Take That(35 of42)
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English boy band Take That wearing matching blue teddy boy suits at the Brit Awards, where they performed a medley of Beatles songs, 1994. From left to right, (back) Robbie Williams and Jason Orange; (front) Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)
Take That Studio Session - March 1, 1993(36 of42)
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Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Gary Barlow of Take That (clockwise from lower left) (Photo by L. Busacca/WireImage) (credit:L. Busacca via Getty Images)
Take That Studio Session - March 1, 1993(37 of42)
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Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald of Take That (clockwise from lower left) (Photo by L. Busacca/WireImage) (credit:L. Busacca via Getty Images)
Take That Studio Session - March 1, 1993(38 of42)
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Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange of Take That (clockwise from lower left) (Photo by Larry Busacca/WireImage) (credit:L. Busacca via Getty Images)
Take That(39 of42)
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English boy band Take That, circa 1993. Clockwise, from top left: Jason Orange, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. (Photo by Tim Roney/Getty Images) (credit:Tim Roney via Getty Images)
Take That(40 of42)
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English boy band Take That, circa 1992. Left to right: Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Jason Orange and Howard Donald. (Photo by Tim Roney/Getty Images) (credit:Tim Roney via Getty Images)
Take That(41 of42)
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Take That, studio group portrait, London, 1991, L-R Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Robbie Williams. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) (credit:Michael Putland via Getty Images)
Take That(42 of42)
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English boy band Take That pose in combat boots, boxer shorts and red boxing gloves, as worn in their first video 'Do What You Like', 1991. From left to right, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) (credit:Dave Hogan via Getty Images)

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