ARTICLES - JASON ORANGE Goodbye Jason Orange, we love you - HERALD EXPRESS

Herald Express entertainments editor Dawn Ellis is one of Take That's biggest fans. A self-confessed 'Thatter' (Take That follower), she has seen the band more than 100 times since she was 13. Now 35 and about to have her first baby, today Dawn is devastated by the news of Jason Orange's deaprture from Take That.

Despite her tears, we made her write a first-person piece about last night's news. She has met Jason Orange many, many, many times (it's more than 30, but she's anxious that we stress she's 'not a crazy stalker').

Despite the news, Dawn hangs on to the hope that Jason will one day be 'back for good'....

Dawn writes: "Anyone who knows me will know I’m a proud ‘thatter’ and have followed the pop group since I was 13.

I remember going to the NEC arena, Birmingham, in the summer of 1993- my very first concert- and joined 15,000 other screaming fans seeing the famous boy band as they danced around the stage and sung all their massive hits.

After that, I was hooked and posters adorned every inch of my bedroom until their split three years later.

I was elated when they reunited in 2006, and have traveled the length and breadth of the country to see their spectacular productions over the years as they never made it to Devon!

I’ve seen every tour they’ve done and each one has become more lavish and more of a spectacle than the one before. Venues got bigger and bigger on each tour with more dates and more venues, until they sold out the countries biggest stadiums.

I’m about to become a mum and 20 odd years of past since I first saw them... and can’t wait to see what the now trio come up with on their next tour.

Some may say ‘grow up’ and ‘why do you like a boy band, you aren’t a teenager any more?’

I answer those questions by saying being a fan of a band is no different to following a football team and having a season ticket.

Many who don’t know a lot about the band think it’s Gary with the talent, Mark with the looks and Howard and Jason who doing the odd bit of backing vocals and dance around the stage to look pretty... how wrong they are.

Jason was a huge cog in the Take That wheel and will be missed by the millions of fans across the world. He added an air of humbleness, sincerity and depth to the band.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Mr Orange on many occasions over the years and although he’s always polite and genuine with fans, it’s easy to see fame doesn’t sit well with the singer. He’s a private man who clearly doesn’t need or want the limelight .

Dedicated fans have known for a while he wasn’t happy with fame or being in the band, so it’s no big surprise really that the story broke last night.

The decision to depart the famous man band couldn’t have been an easy one for the singer. The lucrative gigs and money from the new album, would have been hard to say no to, so fair play to him for walking away from being in the biggest boy band since The Beatles.

Whatever he does next I wish him well and hope one day he returns ‘back for good’."