Six years after walking away from Take That, Jason Orange has largely retreated from the public eye, embracing a quiet life in the Cotswolds. The former boy band member, who left the multi-million selling group in 2014, has rarely been photographed since his departure, with former bandmates even making public appeals for him to get in touch after he stopped taking calls.
At the time of his exit, Orange insisted there was no bad blood, praising his bandmates in an emotional statement: 'There have been no fallings out, only a decision on my part that I no longer wish to do this.' He expressed gratitude to his 'band mates, who I feel are like brothers to me,' and to the fans. Band members Howard Donald and Gary Barlow later said Orange had simply 'fallen out of love with music' and wanted to live his life.
However, Take That's former manager, Nigel Martin Smith, revealed that Orange had long struggled with his role in the band. Smith said Orange once told him, 'He said he couldn’t sing, he wasn’t a musician and I had no right to put him in the band,' and blamed Smith for ruining his life despite the fame and fortune.
Since leaving, Orange has been spotted in the picturesque village of Chipping Norton, queuing at a dry cleaners, and was reported to be house hunting in nearby Stow-on-the-Wold. An insider told the Sun that Orange booked into a hotel in Stow last month and spent a week looking at houses, indicating a permanent move to the countryside.
Robbie Williams admitted last December that he hadn't heard from Orange in months and joked about hiring a private detective to find him, underscoring how fully Orange has embraced life away from the limelight.
