Jason Orange said he does not want to commit to recording and promoting a new Take That album. Photo: Ian West/PA Wire

Take That star Jason Orange has revealed he has quit the group. The 44-year-old insisted there have been “no fallings out” after he told band mates Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald last week that he did not want to commit to recording and promoting a new album.

In a statement, he said: “I have spent some of the best years of my life with Take That and I’d like to thank everyone who has been a part of my journey, including my band mates, who I feel are like brothers to me.

“Most especially my gratitude goes to all of the good and kind, beautiful and ever-loyal fans of the band, without whom none of this could have been possible. Thank you.”

Orange said he was “proud” of what the band had achieved since forming in 1990, including a hugely successful comeback in 2005.

“At the end of the Progress tour I began to question whether it might be the right time for me to not continue with Take That,” he said. “At the start of this year and with my full knowledge and blessing the guys began writing new material. There have been no fallings out, only a decision on my part that I no longer wish to do this.”

In a joint statement, the remaining members of Take That – Barlow, Owen and Donald – said they “fully respect” Orange’s decision.

“This is a sad day for us,” they said. “Jason leaving is a huge loss both professionally and even more so personally.”

Orange has followed in the footsteps of fellow ex-Take That star Robbie Williams who revealed earlier this year he would not be reuniting with the band for their next tour.

The two were also the only members of Take That not to face accusations of tax avoidance after Barlow, Donald, Owen and their manager Jonathan Wild reportedly invested £66 million into two partnerships styled as music industry investment schemes.

Barlow finally broke months of silence on the controversy earlier this month and apologised on Twitter for the “tax stories”, before telling fans the band were working on a new studio album.

Orange enjoyed massive success with Take That in the early 1990s with a string of number one hits including Back For Good, Pray and Relight My Fire.

But after the group split in February 1996, he spent nearly a decade out of the spotlight before reuniting with three of his ex-bandmates – Barlow, Owen and Donald – for Take That’s Ultimate tour in 2006.

The group enjoyed more sell-out tours and bestselling albums with Beautiful World and The Circus, before Williams – who first quit the band in 1995 – returned to reunite the five original members of Take That for their last album and tour, Progress, in 2011.