Gary Barlow suffers baby heartbreak

Gary Barlow and his wife are mourning the loss of their baby daughter.

In a statement issued through his agent, the couple said their baby, Poppy, was delivered stillborn in London on Saturday.

Take That star Gary's wife Dawn was eight months pregnant. On July 5, the singer and X Factor judge tweeted that Poppy was due to be born in seven weeks' time.

In the statement, Gary said: "Dawn and I are devastated to announce that we've lost our baby. Poppy Barlow was delivered stillborn on August 4 in London. Our focus now is giving her a beautiful funeral and loving our three children with all our hearts. We'd ask at this painful time that our privacy be respected."

The 41-year-old had previously spoken about how he was looking forward to becoming a father for the fourth time with his wife, a 42-year-old dancer. Speaking at the time, he told fans: "We are a very excited family."

In April, Gary, already a father to Daniel, Emily and Daisy, wrote on Twitter: "There's gonna be another girl in the Barlow household!" He was recently asked by a fan on the website how Dawn was, and replied: "gr8 tanx, 7 weeks to go."

In June he was crowned celebrity dad of the year.

Friends and colleagues of the singer expressed their condolences to the Barlow family on Twitter. Fellow X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos wrote: "My thoughts & prayers are with @GBarlowOfficial and wife dawn tonight. Heartbreaking x."

A message from boy band JLS, who found fame on X Factor, read: "We send our condolences to @GBarlowOfficial and his family during this tough time..our thoughts and prayers with you..Marv and the boys x".

The announcement has cast doubt on whether Barlow will appear at Sunday's Olympics closing ceremony. The singer has been widely tipped to play the show with his Take That bandmates and a final decision is expected later this week.