Howard Donald performs with Take That after Nottingham Pride axe
Howard Donald returned to the stage with Take That at BST Hyde Park Festival 2023 in London on Saturday after he was axed from Nottingham Pride last month for liking a series of transphobic and homophobic tweets.
Singer Howard, 55, took to the stage with his bandmates Gary Barlow, 52, and Mark Owen, 51, as they headlined the event in the UK capital, on the same day as Price in London was happening in the city.
Howard looked stylish in an orange suit for his performance, with the star wearing a white T-shirt under his jacket.
He wore a pair of matching trousers with wide flares towards the bottom, while he opted for a comfortable pair of white trainers.
Pop star Howard was seen standing alongside Gary on stage who wore an all-white outfit.
Comeback: Howard Donald, 55, returned to the stage with Take That at BST Hyde Park Festival 2023 in London on Saturday after he was axed from Nottingham Pride last month (L-R: Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen)
Controversy: Howard was given the axe from Nottingham Pride for liking a series of transphobic and homophobic tweets
Back on stage: Singer Howard, 55, took to the stage with his bandmates Gary Barlow, 52, and Mark Owen, 51, as they headlined the event in the UK capital this weekend
He wore a pristine white jacket which he teamed with a matching top and a pair of trousers in the same colour.
Meanwhile, Mark wore a fur coat which he teamed with a light blue shirt.
He wore a white T-shirt underneath the shirt which matched his white trousers for the performance.
It comes after the Howard said he was ‘disappointed’ in himself in a grovelling apology after liking the transphobic and homophobic tweets.
The musician was set to headline the LGBTIQA Festival, Groovebox, this month, alongside the likes of Horse Meat Disco, Essel and Sam Sax.
Howard’s performance at the event was condemned by fans who noticed his recent online activity – his Twitter account has since been deleted following the backlash.
Announcing the news in a statement, Nottingham Pride bosses said: ‘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.’
In style: Howard looked stylish in an orange suit for his performance, with the star wearing a white T-shirt under his jacket
Fashion forward: He wore a pair of matching trousers with wide flares towards the bottom, while he opted for a comfortable pair of white trainers
Sorry: It comes after the Howard said he was ‘disappointed’ in himself in a grovelling apology after liking the transphobic and homophobic tweets
Sharing his own statement to Instagram, Howard wrote: ‘I have made a huge error in my judgement liking social media posts that are derogatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community’
Pride: While the BST Hyde Park Festival 2023 was not connected to Pride in London, the events happened on the same day (the Pride in London parade pictured)
They continued: ‘The Groovebox team stands in solidarity with the wider LGBTQ+ community, we believe every person has the right to be their authentic true self without fear of persecution and hatred.
‘We are working on confirming a replacement headliner alongside Horse Meat Disco, Tayce, Danny Beard & ESSEL for Nottingham Pride and will make an announcement in due course.’
Sharing his own statement to Instagram, Howard wrote: ‘I have made a huge error in my judgement liking social media posts that are derogatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community and for that I a 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.’
Prior to his account being taken down, Howard had liked Tweets such as: ‘Only women have periods! Men cannot menstruate. Transgender ‘women’ cannot menstruate,’ according to PinkNews.
Howard had also liked a Tweet from Turning Point UK founder Charlie Kirk as he called for Disney to be defunded for holding a pride concert.
Other Tweets included anti-vax messages and conspiracies.
Hitmakers: The man band were seen on stage surrounded by dancers for their headline performance
Entertainer: Mark was seen raising his arms in the air as he stood alongside Howard during their performance
Take That! The group are still going strong despite the departures of former members Jason Orange and Robbie Williams
Girl band: he Sugababes showed off their cool sense of style as they took to the stage, with Siobhán Donaghy leading the way as Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan joined her on stage
Glitterati: Siobhán, right, 39, looked ever inch the glamorous pop star in a halter neck top made up of large mirrored gold discs
Looking good: Keisha, 38, wore a green bra top with wrap around detail underneath a black cropped jacket
Keeping it casual: . She wore a pair of beige cargo pants to complete her look for the trio’s gig in the UK capital
Fashionista: Mutya, 38, wore a beige and grey camouflage jacket and matching cargo pants for her performance
The Sugababes showed off their cool sense of style as they took to the stage, with Siobhán Donaghy leading the way as Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan joined her on stage.
Siobhán, 39, looked ever inch the glamorous pop star in a halter neck top made up of large mirrored gold discs.
She opted for a pair of khaki green cargo pants and wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty features.
Siobhán was followed closely behind by bandmate Mutya, 38, who wore a beige and grey camouflage jacket and matching cargo pants.
She opted for a grey top with a plunging neckline which left her body art on show on her chest.
The former Celebrity Big Brother star wore her long dyed blonde hair straight for her performance.
Meanwhile, Keisha, 38, wore a green bra top with wrap around detail underneath a black cropped jacket.
She wore a pair of beige cargo pants to complete her look for the trio’s gig in the UK capital.
Meanwhile, Will Young took to the stage in an all-white outfit for his performance.
The former Pop Idol winner, 44, wore a white dress shirt with ruffled detail down the front.
Pop Idol: Meanwhile, Will Young took to the stage in an all-white outfit for his performance at the event
Dapper chap: The former Pop Idol winner, 44, wore a white dress shirt with ruffled detail down the front
Catching the eye: He wore the collar open and his sleeves rolled up as he performed in the warm sunshine on stage
Feeling all bright: The pop star wore a pair of smart white trousers to match his shirt and accessorised with some braces in the same colour
All stars: Danny O’Donoghue of The Script was also seen on stage at the festival as he dressed in black
He wore the collar open and his sleeves rolled up as he performed in the warm sunshine on stage.
The pop star wore a pair of smart white trousers to match his shirt and accessorised with some braces in the same colour.
His outfit complimented his bleached blonde hair while he sported a short beard for the afternoon.
The singer was seen putting on an animated display as he raised his arms up in the air and clapped in a bid to get the audience involved.
Born to perform: He was seen entertaining the crowd as he took to the stage at the event in London