Gary Barlow has spoken out about the heartbreaking stillbirth of his daughter Poppy.

The Take That singer, 47, described how she was stillborn at full term days before he had to perform at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

His upcoming autobiography 'A Better Me', set for release on Thursday, lays bare the devastating impact of her death on him and his wife.

Gary has three other children with his 48-year-old wife Dawn Andrews: Daniel, 18, Emily, 16, and Daisy, nine.

He explained that he felt like he was 'dreaming' after discovering the heart-wrenching news about Poppy, who was stillborn on August 4.

The pair were given an hour to spend time with their baby girl, who he hailed a 'light' in his life.

He said: 'When she was born it was like a light came into the room. 

'It was lovely, it was gorgeous, we both took turns cuddling her, and we took pictures. 

'It was one of the best hours of my life I've ever experienced in the midst of the hardest time of my life. It was very powerful, that hour was.

'Poppy looked perfect and for an hour she was alive to us. She's in your arms, this beautiful little daughter of ours, a sister to our three other children.

'Then the reality comes rushing into the room and all the air leaves your lungs. It felt like someone had a hand held tight at my throat. 

'The nurses start hovering and they want to take her away. What we experienced and saw over those 24 hours, no-one should have to see or have to go through.'   

'There’s no sadder sight than seeing a mum with her dead baby in her arms, willing it back to life with all her being', he said.

The devastating loss came just under two weeks before he joined Take That on stage at London's Olympics closing ceremony. 

He also shared that Dawn was diagnosed with post-traumatic Type 1 diabetes shortly after their baby's tragic death.

The singer admitted he found it extremely hard to include his children in the funeral process, revealing that he and Dawn went through it alone.

'It’s been the hardest thing to talk about as there is no angle, no way of dressing it up; there’s no glitter you can sprinkle on it, it’s just cold, awful, brutish reality,' he said.

After 'shutting out the world' the star confessed music became his 'escape' and he shared his grief through his 2013 track Let Me Go.