The star reveals he and bandmates Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald turned down big-money offers to promote products in the early 1990s, before they split in 1996.

Barlow admits seeing the Spice Girls' worldwide success in the mid to late 1990s, due in part to their endorsement deals, was hard to handle - but he's pleased Take That was never affiliated with a company.

He tells BBC Radio 2's Chris Evans, "We had a try at America, I know the Spice Girls did really well in America but they did things we never quite believed in like advertising Coca Cola..."

The singer/songwriter also reveals the band, which reformed in 2006 as a four-piece, and now boasts Williams among the line-up, is still bombarded with offers for personal appearances - and they turn down almost every one.

He adds, "Even today when we're offered millions of pounds to do corporate events we really think about these things and generally don't do them because I think it all just chips away at what you are.

"We're wealthy characters - we never go out there to make money, we go out there to enjoy it, to give people happiness, to show people what we've got and what we're doing now."
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The slim Take That star, who once weighed a massive 239 pounds (108.6 kilograms), organised the climb to support British charity Comic Relief and encouraged his fellow U.K. stars, including singers Ronan Keating and Cheryl Cole, to join him.

And Barlow confesses one of the highlights of the trip was being able to indulge in fat-packed snacks without worry - because the constant walking ensured he burned the calories off.

He tells BBC Radio 2, "After not eating chocolate for years and years I really ate loads of it... you can eat whatever you want and you won't put any weight on!"

The singer/songwriter has also opened up about his battle with the bulge, which began when the group first disbanded in 1996, and how he managed to slim down - allowing himself to indulge in his favourite foods just one day a week.

He adds, "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 dont 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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