Sunday, October 9, 2011 4:29am ET by  
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Gary Barlow says his aim is to "remind people why I'm here"

Gary Barlow sat down with Barbara Ellen from the Guardian to discuss life as an X Factor judge, the fall-out years with Take That member, Robbie Williams, and making music. 

As mentor to the 'Boys' on X Factor and the lead songwriter for Take That, Barlow is kept busy, as well as being a father of two and a devoted husband. 

He will be on our screens every weekend until the winner of the X Factor is named in late December and he will be on our radios a little bit more. He and fellow judge, Tulisa Contostavlos, feature on the Children In Need charity single, 'Teardrop', which is out on November 13, along with Labrinth, Chipmunk, Ed Sheeran and others. Barlow admitted that there are a "couple" of acts that he hadn't heard of. 

He explains that the time off from Take That, almost ten years, is what drives him to work so much:

"It comes from having that period when I didn't work. That really was the worst bit. It wasn't not being famous any more, or even not being a recording artist. It was having nobody who needed me, no phones ringing, nothing to do. Because I'm still too young to do nothing. I was only 24 when all that happened. Now, at 40, I feel I've got more to give than I ever have".

Now that he and Williams have patched up from their very public fall out, they and the band can all move on:

"They're totally sick of it. It's all Rob and I ever talk about: 'When we were falling out…' They're like: not this story again! But I think they were relieved that it ended. Because everyone played their part – it wasn't just me and Robbie; it was a band problem, really".

Even with TV shows, charity singles and a family to tend to, Barlow says that his ultimate goal is to keep writing music, which he views as therapeutic. He says he does it to keep "reminding people what I do...And I think people need reminding, always, why I'm here".

Check out the Children In Need video for 'Teardrop' and a live performance of 'Rule The World' from Take That: