MARRY ME, EMMA
Mark Owen proposes in the Record
Exclusive By John Dingwall
TAKE
That heart-throb Mark Owen has decided to pop the question to his
beautiful girlfriend Emma Ferguson… exclusively in the Daily Record.
The news will come as a surprise to his legions of fans - and to actress Emmawho is unaware of his intentions.
Mark, 33, said: "She doesn’t know about it yet, but hopefully she will pick up the paper and realise."
The
singer says he has finally found the woman he wants to spend the rest
of his life with in blonde bombshell Emma, best known for TV roles in
the likes ofThe Bill, High Life, Fortysomething and North& South.
Mark said: "I would like to settle down. As I get older, it is something I think about more and more.
"I want to start a family and do the whole thing. I want to get married, have the big ceremony with all the fireworks.
"It’ll be a lovely thing. I want to get the tour over first then get married to Emma.
"I’m
a romantic at heart so I will try to do something special on the big
day. I’d like for us to get married in a little church somewhere."
Mark
cites Emma as the rock who helped him cope with life a decade after the
craziness that came with being one fifth of Britain’s best-loved
boyband in the Nineties.
The group appeared
to have split for good at the start of 1996 following the shock
decision by Robbie Williams to walk out on his bandmates six months
earlier.
While Robbie went on to reach superstardom, Mark struggled to match Take That’s popularity as a solo artist.
As
his pop career floundered, he fell for Emma 18 months ago, and she
supported him at a time whenhe considered giving up his solorecording
work. These days the couple spend whatever time they have together
walking their dogs at Mark’s home near the historic town of Kirby
Lonsdale, between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, or holed up at
her London flat.
Mark said: "She’s very
supportive and makes me laugh. She is a good friend and that’s
important. But she lives in London so I have been crashing at her place
a lot.
"She is a lovely lady and and we try to enjoy as much time as we can together."
The
Record was first with the news that Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason
Orange and Mark would reunite for an 11-date tour following the release
of their current greatest hits album,The Ultimate Collection.
The band will play Glasgow’s SECC on April 30 next year and tickets for the show go on sale tomorrow.
Meanwhile,
Mark is also planning a solo gig on a smaller scale, at Glasgow’s tiny
Barfly venue, on December 12. He is also releasing a single, Hail Mary,
in the New Year.
He said: "Take That got together for a week and it was a little crazy after all that time.
Robbie was the only one who didn’t make it and the rest of us were pretty nervous.
"Coming
back 10 years later, it wasn’t quite Take That because Robbie was
missing. But spending a week together gave us the chance to reminisce a
lot.
"The reuniting thing was just talk to
start with.Then the idea of us being together for a weekend became a
week, then a month and it’s hard to say where all this is going to go.
"I’ll
enjoy the challenge of getting upon stage with Take That in front of
thousands of fans but I will be just as happy playing a gig on my own
in Barfly or doing an acoustic set in a pub like Brel in the West End
of Glasgow, which I did this year.
"Robbie has gone on to superstardom. Gary has been songwriting, Howard is DJing and Jason has spent time with himself.
"I’ve
always just wanted to write songs and perform them. I’m more realistic
than I was 10 years ago.There was a period when I was 32 when I
wondered what I should do with the rest of my life. But I found myself
back at the piano, writing new songs. I set up my own label.
"As a solo artist I am trying to build an audience with the songs I do. I don’t feel it is a slog.
"Playing
live with the Take That boys in the Nineties was incredible. We were
young and it was amazing to perform to that size of audience with all
the production back-up that was available to us.
"We
had fireworks going off and dancers everywhere. On my own, the
enjoyment comes from doing my own songs that I wrote at home with a
piano. It carries the same enjoyment for me."
Of all the Take That members, Mark was the only one Robbie continued his relationship with.
"Robbie and I keep in touch," said Mark. "We don’t speak every week but when we bump into each other it’s nice to hang out.
"When
I was in LA recording, we had a game of football and got together a
lot.We played each other songs we’d been writing and when he’s over in
the UK,we meet up.
"I’ve got a lot of respect
for Robbie and for what he has done musically and as a person. He has
grown up and is a handsome young man who has done very well. I’m proud
of his achievements.
"People say he is
misunderstood but I still see the same Robbie.When we get together, we
have a laugh and talk about old times. He’s a lovely guy who I have a
lot of respect for.
"Towards the end of the band I knew Robbie had had enough. He made his own decision about what he wanted to do."
While Robbie sells CDs in his millions, Mark is involved in what has been, until now, a fairly low key solo career.
Their contrast in fortunes couldn’t be clearer when Mark describes a typical day.
"When I am not writing and performing I’m trying to balance the books and find other places to tour," he said. "It never stops.
"I
love writing songs and getting up onstage to perform. I wouldn’t do it
if I didn’t enjoy it. I’m proud of the songs I’ve written over the
years and the albums I have made.
"I don’t think about not doing as well as Robbie or Take That because it can get too much sometimes.
"Everyone makes their own decisions and has their own life journey
