Gary Barlow taken ill and walks off during live interview on The One Show

Gary Barlow says he thought he was about to faint on live TV as he made an early exit during an interview on BBC's The One Show.

Sitting next to his Take That band-mates, the singer started to respond to a question from presenter Richard Osman before saying he felt unwell and walked off set leaving Howard Donald and Mark Owen on the sofa.

Barlow said: "Can I leave you guys to it? I don't feel very well, excuse me," and walked off set to the bafflement of viewers.

But the singer managed to return several minutes later for a performance of the band's latest single, Giants.

The incident left Osman and fellow presenter Angela Scanlon confused as they attempted to continue with the interview.

In a post on Twitter minutes after the show ended, Barlow said he was "absolutely fine".

He wrote: "Thank you all for the messages. I'm absolutely fine. We had a very hot dressing room and I thought I was going to faint on live TV."

The trio were on the BBC show to promote their upcoming tour and latest album, Wonderland.