Pop boy band Westlife arriving at the MTV Europe Music Awards nominations ceremony in London. L-R: Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Bryan McFadden. (Image: PA) As one of the leading boybands of the late '90s, Westlife took the world by storm, and still have legions of loyal fans to this day.
Formed in 1998 as the Irish answer to Take That, Westlife went on to release 13 albums and embark on 12 world tours before going their separate way in 2012. And they were able to whip up the same magic formula following their 2018 reunion, with their comeback album Spectrum reaching a coveted number one spot. Behind the glamour of screaming crowds and packed out concerts spanning the globe, the five talented bandmates have all endured many ups and downs in their personal and professional lives, including a recent health update that left fans shaken.
Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Brian McFadden, Nicky Byrne, and Kian Egan rose to fame through Westlife, but this was only the beginning of their stories. Here, the Irish Mirror takes a look at what came next for the boys, from agonising IVF battles, to debt woes..
. Shane Filan Lead singer Shane Filan, 45 studied business and accounting before joining Westlife, but was left devastated when his property empire went bust in 2012, leaving him with debts of £18 million. The Irish star and his brother Finbarr ran property development company Shafin Developments, and had taken out loans to build a 90-house estate in Dromahair, Co L.
