Westlife star Nicky Byrne has shared an update to fans on Mark Feehily returning to the group ahead of their world tour.
The band are about to embark on a mega 25th anniversary world tour from September, with celebrations kicking off in 2026 with a 13-show residency in the 3Arena in Dublin.
Nicky will join Kian Egan and Shane Filan but revealed Mark will still not be returning to the band, saying the singer is still recovering ‘both physically and mentally.’
Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne of Westlife attend the Royal Variety Performance. Pic: PA Images
He told us: ‘I don’t believe so, but we all hope so. And you know, Mark… it’s always tricky… because you don’t want to ever quote something that’s, you know, would you say that you’re speaking wrongly or out of school.
‘So I can only go on what Mark has always said publicly. And you know, he’s not there yet.
‘He’s still recovering, both mentally and physically, and you just have to give him his time.’
In August 2020, Mark was ‘rushed to A&E‘ just days after undergoing surgery as he developed severe sepsis due to complications.
Pic: Instagram
In February 2024, he said: ‘I had developed severe sepsis, a life-threatening infection that would require immediate emergency surgery to rectify the problem and basically save my life.’
After recuperating from his illness, Mark embarked on the Wild Dreams Tour with Westlife in 2021 but fell seriously ill again with pneumonia and was forced to pull out of the remainder of the tour.
Later in 2022, he developed ‘a very large incisional hernia’ and required yet another operation to ‘fix it’, adding: ‘This would be my fourth major surgery since the start of it all, but I had no option.’
Nicky said the band will ‘miss him dearly’ on stage and hope he comes back soon.
‘And we are, you know, we can’t wait for Mark to be back. We miss him dearly, and we really hope he comes back soon.
‘So, you know, he’s obviously said he’s not going to do this tour. So if you read between what he said…but if something changes…100% I mean that would be, like a reunion in itself. It would be amazing.’
Pic Nicky Byrne/Instagram
The Dubliner said there will be a few changes to their world tour now that they’re all fathers.
‘The way we always work it now that we’re older gentlemen with children and stuff like that in schools, and like my boys are doing the Leaving Cert, for example.
‘So we were in control of our own destiny that we don’t miss things that we can avoid missing, i.e. school exams, birthdays, if we can avoid it that type of thing.
‘We like to do, like, three weeks no longer than that away, and then maybe a month at home, three weeks away, a month at home. So that’s where the podcast for me has filled my time. I’m really thoroughly enjoying that. I’m hoping to keep that going.’
Nicky Byrne brings his family to see Leeds United. Pic: Nicky Byrne/Instagram
The 47-year-old returned to our screens on Sunday night as he stepped in as guest judge to celebrate Dancing With The Stars 100th episode.
But the star denied his stint on the RTE One was a test run, saying he only got the call from producers on Wednesday about joining the judging panel with Brian Redmond, Oti Mabuse, Karen Byrne and Arthur Gourounlian.
The father-of-three said: ‘It was a great show. It felt lively and energetic. It felt like that when I was hosting that show but no, it definitely wasn’t a test.
‘This was confirmed on Wednesday night, to be honest with you. It was that late in the day, you know and then all of a sudden they had to turn around everything from the paddles to the graphics and everything in short notice to make it happen.
Nicky Byrne ,Oti Mabuse, and Arthur Gourounlian during the live show of RTE’s Dancing With The Stars.
Pic:Kyran O’Brien /kobpix
‘It definitely wasn’t test or an audition. No, and look, I’m about to embark on a massive tour with Westlife. It’s genuinely huge and kicks off in September. It’s running for over a year, and we haven’t even looked at beyond now in saying that there’s a lot of time off in between.’
‘So in terms of judging, I mean, I’d like to say it won’t be the last time I’ll ever do something like. I’d be devastated if it was because I genuinely loved it but certainly not like even if you were to say next season of Dancing with the Stars, we’re busy with Westlife.
‘Have I dropped a little kind of match to hope might spark someday on some show maybe,’ he said laughing.