Take That… And That… And That

Former Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith is reportedly ready to dish the dirt on the band in revenge for his sacking.

According to The Daily Mirror, which quoted him as saying, “People are going to be astonished by the true story,” he’s about to lift the lid on all the band’s “sordid secrets.”

“I can’t believe how I’ve been treated after everything I’ve done,” he allegedly told the red-topped tabloid. “I have kept my mouth shut for 16 years despite numerous lucrative offers to tell all.”

The paper said the “pop svengali” is angry because he guided the ’90s boy band from obscurity to more than 10 million record sales. And, when Robbie Williams left and the band was no longer in the spotlight, he masterminded the comeback tour that looks to have put remaining members Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Jason Orange back in the public eye.

“Take That were all on the dole when I put them together all that time ago and they weren’t doing too well when I re-launched them last year. Talk about ungrateful,” he told Mirror showbiz editor Ben Todd.

Martin-Smith, who has been at odds with former Take That star Robbie Williams for years after the singer labeled him “the spawn of Satan,” is said to be keeping quiet for a while because he’s “under a gagging clause” that prevents him from saying more until the end of the Take That tour.

– John Gammon