Westlife became famous in the late 1990s and initially appeared to be genuinely wholesome. However, a scandalous incident involving Bryan McFadden – a fling with a dancer shortly before his wedding – ultimately contributed to the end of his marriage to Kerry Katona.
Following Brian McFadden’s difficult departure in 2004, Westlife – consisting of Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan, and Mark Feehily – continued as a quartet and achieved remarkable success. They released twelve studio albums, sold over 55 million records globally, and even branched out into merchandise like perfume and chocolate.
The band has returned to the stage and recently received excellent reviews for two sold-out concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. This success comes before their 25th anniversary tour, which is planned for 2026.
The band is thrilled with how well their recent performances have been received, and they’ve even promised to keep performing well into their 80s! However, beyond giving fans a nostalgic experience, there might be more practical reasons driving their decision to return to the stage.
Like many boybands before them, their attempt to regain popularity has faced significant challenges and setbacks.
Nicky has confessed that they haven’t been particularly wealthy and have made some unwise financial decisions in the past.
Singer Shane faced serious financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy with debts exceeding £18 million, largely due to unsuccessful property investments. The situation was complicated further when a hospice charity expressed disappointment with the donations received from his wedding, stating they had anticipated more substantial contributions from guests.
After enjoying success for three decades without significant financial gain, a profitable tour benefits everyone involved. Here’s a look at the challenges Westlife has overcome during their 25 years as a boyband.
Shane Filan
I still can’t believe how quickly things turned around for him. One minute he was incredibly wealthy, with eight million pounds to his name, and the next, he was desperately searching for loose change in his wardrobe, worried about how he’d feed his family the next week. It’s a stark reminder that fortunes can change in an instant.
After struggling with mounting debts and repeated calls from the bank regarding an £18 million loan for unsuccessful property investments, former Westlife singer Shane Filan was forced to declare bankruptcy.
I was heartbroken to hear about everything he lost – his cars, his incredible house, even his helicopter. But what really struck me was losing Gillian’s wedding ring. It was a stunning platinum and diamond piece, worth around £33,000, and it seemed to symbolize everything. Thankfully, he eventually managed to get it back, though he never revealed exactly how much it cost him this time around.
Shane’s difficulties didn’t appear suddenly. They began in 2004 when Brian left the band, causing Shane to wonder how much longer he, Nicky, Kian, and Mark could continue performing together.
Instead of letting his money sit in the bank, he decided to invest it. He partnered with his brother, Finbarr, and they started buying land in Ireland to develop housing, office buildings, a nursing home, and a daycare center.
I was so excited for him, he had such great ideas! But then he got bogged down in planning permission problems, and just as things were starting to look up, the housing market completely collapsed. It was heartbreaking to see – he ended up with a huge amount of debt and, sadly, a lot of land that wasn’t worth much at all.
He was too ashamed to tell his bandmates what he was going through, so he kept everything to himself. Just a few days after playing a final concert for 80,000 people, he unexpectedly went bankrupt.
Shane was legally required to sell all of his possessions worth £500 or more, and he had to give half of his earnings to someone else for the next three years.
A disagreement about finances briefly dampened the joy of Shane’s 2003 wedding to Gillian. Instead of receiving gifts, the couple had asked guests to make donations to the North West Hospice in Sligo.
The hospice expressed disappointment that only around 50 out of the 350 wedding attendees made a donation, resulting in just £10,000 raised. They had hoped to receive between £25,000 and £50,000.
Shane and Gillian strongly emphasized that their guests weren’t required to give any money, and that they hadn’t pledged any donations to the hospice themselves.
We didn’t promise the North-West Hospice any specific amount of money, and we were very surprised and upset that they publicly shared the donation totals and hinted at who had given the money, as they did in a statement at the time.
Brian McFadden
He shocked fans when he quit boyband Westlife back in 2004 at the height of the group’s popularity.
Westlife continued as a group of four – Nicky, Shane Filan, Markus Feehily, and Kian Egan – and they still perform together now.
On his podcast, Nicky Byrne HQ, Nicky Byrne will be interviewing famous people from all walks of life. He’ll be chatting with them about their experiences, what they do for work, and the challenges and successes they’ve faced.
The first episode features an honest conversation between Nicky and Brian about Brian leaving and how it affected both of them, personally and professionally.
Following his time with Westlife, Brian released his first solo album, “Irish Son,” in November 2004. The album included the hit single “Real To Me,” which reached number one on the charts.
After leaving his record label, he’s released four additional solo albums, with his latest, Otis, appearing in 2019.
In 2013, Brian said he didn’t regret leaving Westlife, but he was disappointed he didn’t share in the band’s continued financial success after he left.
He told the Daily Mail that while he wouldn’t say he regretted leaving the band, he started to question his decision four years later. The turning point came when his UK record label decided not to release his second solo album, making him wonder if staying with the band would have been a better choice.
‘But then I’d just have been staying for the money and I never did this for the money.
I definitely made some financial mistakes in the past. When I was in Westlife, we weren’t even aware of how much money we were making – the accountants just handled everything. Honestly, I’m relieved I’m no longer that wealthy. It makes you work with more passion and appreciate things more when you’re not simply relying on past success.
‘The pleasure I have had since leaving keeps me alive, though it’s been a rollercoaster.
My career has always been a rollercoaster – one minute I’m at the top of the charts, the next a song flops. I’ve even thought about quitting at times, only to make a comeback later. When we were in Westlife, we felt like nothing could stop us. Looking back, we didn’t appreciate how fortunate we were.
Mark Feehily
Just days before their first American tour, Mark Feehily of the Irish boyband announced he needed to take a break.
The singer left the band to focus on getting better after a serious infection, known as sepsis, caused a long period of illness.
As a huge Westlife fan, I was really upset to hear in June that Mark wouldn’t be joining them for the upcoming shows. They shared the news in a long message, starting by saying they wanted to let us all know something important.
We’re excited to announce we’re celebrating our 25th anniversary! It all began on February 9th, 2001, with our first tour at the Newcastle Arena. It’s incredible to think we’re still going strong after all these years.
I’m absolutely thrilled to tell you that we’ve got a ton of amazing things in the works! Get ready for new music, a full album, and some really special shows. And honestly, that’s just the beginning – we have so many more surprises planned that I can’t wait to share with you all!
We’re sorry to say that Mark won’t be able to celebrate with us right now. We look forward to welcoming him back on stage when he’s feeling better. He sends his best wishes to everyone!
Last year, Mark announced he was taking a break and shared a message with his fans. He explained that many of them already knew he’d been dealing with some health issues recently.
It all began in August 2020, about three and a half years ago, when I had surgery. Shortly after, I experienced intense pain and had to be taken to the emergency room.
That terrible day ended in the ICU, where doctors told me the surgery had caused a severe, life-threatening infection called sepsis. I needed emergency surgery right away to fix the problem and save my life.
He continued, explaining that he was hospitalized for several months during the lockdown. Due to strict COVID restrictions, he wasn’t allowed any visitors during that time – not even his fiancé or his ten-month-old daughter.
Being in the ICU for a long period was incredibly challenging, both physically and emotionally, and quite traumatic. In late 2021, I fell seriously ill in Newcastle just before a concert and had to go to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with pneumonia and advised to return home immediately to recover, which unfortunately meant I had to cancel the remaining concerts that December.
A specialist recommended another surgery, which I had in May 2022. Unfortunately, this meant I had to miss additional dates on The Wild Dreams tour.
Three months after the surgery, I really wanted to get back to touring and perform for you all. However, the concerts and all the travel were physically too challenging for me at that time.
I developed a significant incisional hernia and was told I needed another surgery to repair it. This would be my fourth major operation since the initial problem began, and I felt I didn’t have a choice.
Kian Egan
Kian Egan is thought to be the richest member of Westlife, with an estimated net worth of about £15 million.
He’s previously said that none of them have become wealthy because they’ve spent their money carelessly.
Everyone made financial mistakes,” he said to the Irish Independent. “We were all careless with money when we first started earning, spending it on things like cars and watches – just frivolous purchases.
We weren’t fortunate, we simply worked hard. We all benefited financially from Westlife’s success, but like most people, we spent what we earned. We made a lot of money at the start, but it didn’t last, and eventually it was all gone.
Even though Kian is financially successful, he’s had some legal troubles – he was convicted of speeding in 2022.
He admitted to speeding in Sligo, Ireland, reaching 89 kilometers per hour in an 80 kilometer per hour zone on the N16 road at Glencar on June 21, 2021.
Kian Egan, originally from Sligo and recently finished touring Asia with Westlife, didn’t appear in court. His lawyer, Fergal Kelly, entered a plea on his behalf before Judge Sandra Murphy.
The popstar was then convicted of the speeding offence and fined €180.
Nicky Byrne
Despite generally avoiding scandal, the celebrity is connected to Bertie Ahern, a former Irish prime minister who has faced public disgrace.
In May 2008, Georgina’s father, Bertie, stepped down as Taoiseach (Ireland’s Prime Minister) after it was revealed he had received payments from property developers.
Members of his Fianna Fáil party had suggested removing politicians involved in a scandal investigated by a tribunal, but he stepped down before they could force him out.
The Mahon Tribunal, after years of investigation, determined in 2012 that the former Irish Prime Minister received at least €209,779 in undeclared payments during his time in office and consistently lied about them while giving evidence.
Although the judges, headed by Justice Alan Mahon, didn’t declare Bertie Ahern guilty of corruption, they couldn’t find evidence to support claims that he had improperly helped donors who gave him money while he was Minister for Finance in the 1990s.
Back in 2016, the Fianna Fáil party let Bertie Ahern know he was welcome to rejoin, and he did so in February 2023. There was recent speculation he might run for the Irish presidency, but he decided against it.
Nicky recently spoke up to defend his father-in-law, telling the Sunday Independent that claims of wealth are false. He stated they don’t own a large house, expensive cars like Porsches, or any similar luxury items.
‘It’s not there and if it was, believe you and me, it would have been found.
A lot of people have different feelings about Bertie, likely because he held power for such a long time.
Look, when facing tough questions, I always say it’s about standing your ground and speaking from the heart. Just share what you know to be true about someone’s character. For example, if someone asks me about a person I admire, I’d confidently say, ‘I know him well, and he’s a genuinely good person. He’s completely dedicated – always has been – to Ireland.’ It’s about personal experience and unwavering support.
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2025-10-30 03:42