Take That were rejected by Stock Aitken Waterman at the start of their career.

The boy band – starring Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, and Howard Donald – went on to sell over 45 million records worldwide, scoring 12 UK No. 1 hits in the process.

But at the very beginning, the Relight My Fire hitmakers were turned down by songwriting and production trio Stock Aitken Waterman due to the terms offered by their then-management.

Stock told the Daily Star’s Wired column: “We did turn down Take That. We didn’t really see that for what it was.”

Waterman elaborated: “We turned it down because of the management. The terms they were offering were derogatory.

“I think that you have to have a value for your talent, otherwise there’s no point you doing it.

“We were as hot as pistols at the time, so, we just said no. That wasn’t against Gary and the boys. It was just, that it didn’t work.”

However, he went on to admit that he does believe a collaboration between Stock Aitken Waterman and Pet Shop Boys could have been special.

He added: “I still think Stock Aitken Waterman and The Pet Shop Boys would have been quite amazing.”