BEST friends Julie and Amanda got the trip of a lifetime recently when Gary Barlow drove them to a Take That concert as part of an elaborate prank.

Julie Saxton and Amanda Hargreaves, both 39, were travelling on a bus full of Take That superfans to see their idols perform when disaster struck. The bus apparently broke down and pulled to a halt just outside Sheffield, with the ladies fearing they may not get to see the band perform on their Greatest Hits tour — breaking their run of seeing every tour since the band formed.

Instead, Take That frontmen Gary, Mark and Howard turned up to rescue them and Gary personally chauffeured the overwhelmed duo to the gig, all thanks to car company Suzuki which arranged the meet up.

Ms Hargreaves and Ms Saxton have been lifelong Take That fans, both having attended their first gig in the early 90s. Ms Saxton will have attended 10 Take That concerts in 2019 alone after requesting tickets to all of the UK shows for the band's Greatest Hits tour.

Ms Saxton said: “It was just absolutely amazing. Gary is such a down to earth guy. We were just chatting away like we’ve been friends for years, he’s so personable and just helped us feel relaxed – and the pun-off made my day. I couldn’t have wished for a better 40th birthday present!”

Ms Hargreaves said: “It’s so hard to even put into words. When people ask me to tell the story, I feel like it didn’t even happen, that it was all just a dream! To be part of something so special, we feel so lucky and blessed to be chosen. We never thought we’d ever meet our heroes, and for them to be as lovely as you always imagined was just truly unbelievable!”

The whole coach catastrophe, has been turned into a TV advert with ITV, dubbed "Suzuki Saves the Day".