The songwriter on splitting his trousers on stage, thinking positively and his guilty pleasure of visiting Las Vegas

Born in Cheshire, Gary Barlow, 46, played the northern club circuit until 1990, when he joined Take That. He wrote and co-wrote the band’s 14 number one singles and has sold more than 50m records worldwide; he has also won six Ivor Novello awards, and in 2012 organised the Queen’s diamond jubilee concert. Barlow is a judge on the BBC1 talent show Let It Shine; his new musical, The Girls, is at the Phoenix theatre in London until 22 April. He is married and has three children.

When were you happiest?

We’re in such a good place now as a family. It’s the same for my career. I say no to so many things; I never used to be able to.

What is your greatest fear?

Going back to where I was in 2002. I didn’t have a record deal. I was very fat. It was a bad place.

What is your earliest memory?

Being on a little tricycle, aged about two and a half. I’d pedalled so far from home I’d got lost and had a face full of tears and snot. Our neighbour found me and brought me back.

Which living person do you most admire?

My wife.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

I split my trousers on stage in Germany in the early Take That days. I made the situation worse by edging over to the side of the stage. I should have just gone to the crowd, “Look what I’ve done!” They would have loved it.

What makes you unhappy?

Thinking negatively.

What is your most unappealing habit?

I sing and go into my own world a lot. That’s the biggest complaint: not being present.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I’m 5ft 8in. I’d love to be taller.

What is your favourite smell?

I love the smell of spring: it’s hopeful.

What is the worst thing anyone’s said to you?

When I was 16, I took a demo tape to the publisher of a record company, who played it while I sat there. He then opened the window, threw the cassette out and said, “Never come back again.”

What is top of your bucket list?

One of the things my son Daniel and I talk about all the time is going to Machu Picchu together.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Las Vegas. I often take the kids in the summer and we have a ball. It’s so ghastly and awful and manmade, and I just love it. I don’t gamble, though – I find being in the music industry enough of a gamble.

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What do you owe your parents?

Absolutely everything. They were one of the few couples in history who never really argued. They were very positive. When my dad died, someone said that he was very happy in his own skin.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Stephen Fry would be a brilliant dinner guest. I have had dinner with Elton John many times and he’s always a hoot: he is so brilliantly bitchy, and he loves football.

How do you relax?

If I get an hour, I reach for a book. I am reading an old Stephen King book at the moment called The Stand.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

The cancan. It’s celebratory and it would demonstrate the ridiculousness of this life.