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Take That's Howard Donald mocked for sharing fake photo with David Bowie

BERLIN, GERMANY - APRIL 01: Take That singer Howard Donald during the photocall "The Band - Das Musical" with the main cast and members of the band Take That at Theater des Westens on April 1, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Isa Foltin/Getty Images)
Take That singer Howard Donald at Theater des Westens in Berlin, April 1, 2019. (Photo by Isa Foltin/Getty Images)

Take That star Howard Donald has been mocked online for a photo he posted of himself with David Bowie - after eagle-eyed fans spotted the late music legend’s head was photoshopped over Gary Barlow’s.

Donald posted a picture appearing to show the icon between Donald and bandmate Mark Owen with his arms around them.

But a Twitter user spotted the similarity to another photo from 2015 and posted both images, with the original showing Barlow in Bowie’s place with his arms draped around Donald and Owen.

Subsequently, another person alleged that the photo of Bowie was actually taken in 2007.

Donald, 52, wrote on Instagram: “I was just gonna put this on my stories but then I though this is much more worthy of the main feed.

“For sure I was very nervous meeting @davidbowie as I’m not so comfortable around other famous people and can get star struck quite easily, but he was so normal and down to earth which made me feel at ease.

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“Plus it was an opportunity I was never gonna miss and so glad I had the balls to ask. Will there ever be anyone as musically talented as the man himself?

“And also someone that changed fashions and music styles like nobody else. Doubt it! Was a pleasure Mr Bowie.”

But the forgery was spotted and subsequently uploaded to Twitter, opening the floodgates for Donald to receive some gentle mockery.

One person simply responded “Face Oddity” a play on Bowie’s famous song Space Oddity. But the puns didn’t stop there with one user writing “Fake That”.

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Someone else wrote: “Petition to photoshop David Bowie’s face over every Barlow photo.”

Others pointed out that Donald had probably met Bowie at some point but had perhaps thought the photo he posted was real.

He is certainly a fan of the Ziggy Stardust singer. In 2015, wife Katie Halil gave birth to a baby son they named Bowie.