Howard Donald performs with Take That after being axed from Nottingham Pride

Howard Donald has returned to the stage with Take That just weeks after he was axed from Nottingham Pride.

Howard, 55 joined fellow band members Gary Barlow, 52, and Mark Owen, 51 to perform at BST Hyde Park Festival 2023.

He was due to headline at the Groovebox Nottingham Pride Festival on July 29, but after liking a series of anti-LGBTQ+ tweets the decision was made for him to no longer appear.

Glovebox confirmed the news in a statement on Facebook which read: “In light of recent events, Howard Donald will no longer be playing at our Nottingham Pride Festival on Saturday 29th July at Binks Yard.

“We would like to offer our thanks to the public for alerting us to the situation this morning and also appreciate your patience whilst we spoke to the relevant parties.”

After deleting his Twitter account, Howard issued a grovelling apology to his 133,000 Instagram fans which read: “I have made a huge error in my judgement liking social media posts that are derogatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community and for that, I am deeply sorry and I know I have let everyone down.

“I am really disappointed in myself and I am sorry for any hurt that I have caused by my uneducated actions.

“I clearly have a lot to learn and it’s a priority for me that I do this.”

But putting his troubles behind him, Howard took to the stage wearing an oversized orange blazer with matching flared trousers, which he paired with a simple white t-shirt.

Gary opted for a traditional boyband outfit, dressed all in white he wore a jacket with matching jeans and a t-shirt.

Whilst Mark showed his fun side by wearing a fur jacket teamed with a light blue shirt, white skinny jeans and chunky utility boots.

The band who’ve been together since 1992 put on a nostalgic performance singing some of their classic hits including Pray, Could It Be Magic and Relight My Fire where Lulu joined them on stage.

The songs were accompanied by their signature dance moves before they invited special guest Calum Scott onstage to sing a remixed version of their hit Greatest Day.

BST Hyde Park Festival 2023 runs until July 9 and will feature performances from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Billy Joel and Lana Del Ray.