Mark Owen shocks BBC Breakfast hosts as he looks worlds away from his former Take That days 

Mark Owen looked very different from his early Take That days when he appeared on BBC Breakfast on Monday.

The singer, 50, who has long been known as the “cute one” in the band, was spotted sporting a mustache and long hair while promoting his solo album.

The shows co-host Sally Nugent seemed a little surprised by his appearance during the interview.

Same but different: Mark Owen looked very different from his early Take That days when he appeared on BBC Breakfast on Monday with long hair and a mustache

The songwriter appeared on the popular program to promote his new album Land of Dreams, which is his fifth solo release outside of his work with Take That.

He spoke to Sally, 51, and co-host Jon Kay, 52, about his career, but the musician drew attention to his facial hair — which looked very different from his early days in the band.

Sally flattered Mark’s new look, asking the hitmaker why he’s wearing a mustache now.

Referring to his Take That days, she asked, “Actually, you look different. The mustache, how long has it been there?’

Mark replied, “It’s probably been there for about four years.

“It started out as a beard and then my beard got a little patchy on this side. Then we went on tour, and beards can get a little sweaty on tour…’

Sally interrupted, then joked about co-host Jon’s facial hair, to which he agreed, “Yes, yes, spotty beards, I’m with you, Mark.”

Blunt: Sally spoke frankly to Mark’s new look and asked the hitmaker why he’s wearing a mustache now

Sally chuckled as Mark continued, “So then it turned into a mustache and it stuck.

‘My children keep threatening to stop, they say, ‘Can we just…?’

He explained why he wanted to keep the mustache, saying, “I made my artwork. I can’t change the look! I made the video. I can’t change my appearance now.’

The facial hair didn’t go unnoticed by viewers, with one person admitting they were distracted: “Can’t stop looking at Mike Owen’s mustache #BBCBreakfast.”

Reason: He explained why he wanted to keep the mustache and said, ‘I made my artwork. I can’t change the look! I made the video. I can’t change my look now’

Others expressed surprise at his appearance, writing, “Good God, what happened to Mark Owen?” Another wasn’t sure if it was him and asked, “Was that Mark Owen?”

Speaking about his highly anticipated album, Mark The sun earlier this year: “I try to play it cool, but I’m not cool, there’s no coolness in me. Even if I’m in Take That all this time, I still don’t think it’s there, but that’s okay.

“Howard (Donald) always thinks he’s cool, and Jason (Orange) was really cool — he just is. At least I’ll be the coolest man on this album!’

The group last performed together in 2019 on their Odyssey: Greatest Hits Live tour and have taken a break in recent years to work on solo projects.

Famous Five: Mark has long been known as the ‘cute’ in the band [Clockwise, from top left: Jason Orange, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark and Robbie Williams in 1992]

And their hiatus, as well as the coronavirus lockdown, allowed Mark to work on his own album, although the record was initially greeted with a cheeky joke from his friends.

He explained that he had sent “the number” to Howard and Gaz, only to have them say “it was s**t,” and Mark quickly added, “No, they were very complimentary after that.”

The star went on to say that Take That’s latest hiatus allowed him to fully focus on making his album, noting that making music and performing are “part of my life.”

He said: We’ve made three Take That records since my last solo album, but I’m not very good at multitasking. I can’t do two things at once, so I had to know I had a few years to focus on it. The adrenaline of making music and performing is just part of my life.’

oh dear! In a new interview, the singer, 50, opened up about his latest music offering, revealing that bandmates Gary Barlow, 51, and Howard Donald, 54, joked it was “s**t.”

He added that he “can’t wait” to get “back on stage”, adding that he can’t wait for his work to get “out there.”

The Babe hitmaker is no doubt particularly proud of his album, as his daughters Willow, 13, and Fox, nine, make a cameo appearance on it as backing vocalists.

And alongside new music, fans of Mark would have even more to celebrate as the star hinted that after years of living in Los Angles he could make the move to the UK.

He noted that the last few times he had returned to his native Manchester, he had felt ‘a little attracted’ to the north of England.

Speak to existence: ‘Howard (Donald) always thinks he’s cool, and Jason (Orange) was really cool – he just is. At least I’ll be the coolest man on this album!’ [pictured in 2019]

He said that despite his family living there, it just feels different to be back in Manchester, as he wondered why he got “an attraction” to his home city.

It comes days after the members of Take That bravely perform at the Greatest Days photocall at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

The trio, consisting of Gary, Howard and Mark, posed in their summer suits at the event to promote the film that tells the story of their band’s rise.

But a notable former member Robbie Williams, 48, was missing from the lineup — after both Robbie and Jason Orange decided to leave the group in 2014 after it reformed.

New project: We’ve made three Take That records since my last solo album, but I’m not very good at multitasking. I can’t do two things at once, so I had to know I had a few years to focus on it.” [pictured in 2019]

Gary looked typically soft in a cream suit and white chinos as he smiled at the cameras in the sun.

Next to him, Howard looked ruggedly handsome in a bright white jacket and bright red trousers, clutching his sunglasses and sporting a gray beard.

Meanwhile, Owen showed off his quirky sense of style in a pink silk-patterned blouse and a light blue blazer.

The film follows a young boy band inspired by (but not the same) as the real-life pop group and joins newcomers Aaron Bryan, Dalvin Cory, Joshua Jung, Mark Samaras and Mervin Noronha.

Handsome: It comes days after the members of Take That bravely perform at the Greatest Days photocall at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday (LR: Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark)

The film, based on the musical The Band, will reportedly feature music by Take That and will be buy-in from the group and Universal Music.

According to Deadlinethe film follows five best friends who have the night of their lives at a concert by their favorite boy band.

25 years later, they reunite and reminisce about their younger days.

In a statement, Take That said: “This is a really exciting time for us! We are really looking forward to working with such a talented and creative team on the film and we are absolutely delighted to have such a brilliant cast on board!’

Hurrah! Based on the musical The Band, the film will reportedly feature music by Take That and have a buy-in from the group and Universal Music