Westlife confirm 25th anniversary tour and new music - but one star is forced to pull out amid health issues
"We have so many exciting plans to share with you very soon."
Westlife have confirmed new music and more live shows are on the horizon to mark the band’s 25th anniversary of their first world tour.
The boy band – made up of Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily – confirmed some exciting projects to mark the milestone in a statement on X, but sadly also revealed that Feehily isn’t able to be part of the plans.
"To our amazing fans, we would like to take this opportunity to share some very important news with you all," the statement read. "We are thrilled to announce the launch of our 25th Anniversary celebrations.
"On the 9th February 2001 we kicked off our first ever world tour at the Newcastle Arena. Who would have thought we would still be here 25 years later?
"We have so many exciting plans to share with you very soon which will include new music, an album, special shows and many, many more surprises along the way."
The band continued: "Sadly, Mark will be unable to join the celebrations.
"We hope we can join us back on stage when he is ready and able. He sends his love and positivity to you all as always."
Mark stepped back from the band in the middle of the their Wild Dreams worldwide tour back in February 2024 due to "ongoing medical problems".
Describing his health issues at the time, he explained in a statement on Instagram that his challenges began in August 2020 while having surgery, which resulted in him developing "severe sepsis" due to a complication.
He detailed how over three and half years he received treatment in a hospital intensive care unit during COVID lockdown restrictions, where he also developed pneumonia and a large "incisional hernia", which required surgery to fix.
"It is with the upmost level of regret that I must now temporarily stand down from all Westlife touring until a time that I have had a chance to fully recover from the turbulent journey I have been through as an individual," he continued.
"Believe me, I wish things could be different."
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
