Mark Feehily has shared an update with his fans following a period of ill health after battling several illnesses over the past few years.
The Westlife singer, 45, shared his first post in more than a year, as he revealed his career comeback plans to the delight of his followers.
Mark has publicly shared that he’s been coping with ill concerns over the past several years, which have significantly affected his ability to tour and perform.
Now Mark, who shared a photo of himself at RTE Radio 1 in Ireland wearing headphones, has revealed that he will now be hosting three shows at the station.
The Irish native revealed that he will be hosting radio shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The heartfelt message, read: ‘Heya! A little message from me to you from the heart. It’s been so long, sorry about the lack of posting… I’ve missed ya!
‘It’s been quite difficult to watch my bands big World Tour launch knowing I won’t be able to be there with you all to join the party.
Mark Feehily has shared an update with his fans following a period of ill health after battling several illnesses over the past few years
The Westlife singer, 45, shared his first post in more than a year, as he revealed his career comeback plans to the delight of his followers (Mark pictured November 2021)
‘However, it’s been really amazing to see our band still flying so high, and the incredible global support that’s still there for us. YOUR support!
‘That same phenomenal support you have blessed us with from day ONE in Sligo back in the late 90s & as we slowly but surely went on to build the Westlife legacy piece by piece for over 3 decades, literally thousands of days and nights together on stage and in studios and on trains, planes and automobiles, is something that blows my mind to this day, something I am so proud to be a part of.
‘The 25th anniversary tour is gonna be a really special celebration of what we have all built and achieved together!’
Mark went on to thank his fans for all of their unwavering support before revealing he still isn’t well enough to get on stage for the world tour.
He continued: ‘All of this really drives home the honest truth that I’m simply not ready to take on a massive world tour yet.
‘My body and my mind need time. However, thankfully, sitting in a chair to do a radio show is a completely different physical and mental demand to doing a massive world tour and I feel very lucky to be able to do this new @rteradio1 show.
‘It’s not quite a stadium show but it’s a HUGE deal and achievement for me! Right now, to sit back and do absolutely nothing would make things much worse for me both medically and emotionally – so here goes!’
Mark’s health problems began after he underwent routine surgery in August 2020.
A few days following the procedure, he experienced severe pain and was rushed to hospital, where complications developed into sepsis.
He spent months in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic and required emergency surgery to address it.
In late 2021, he became seriously ill before a scheduled concert and was diagnosed with pneumonia.
This chest infection forced him to miss shows on Westlife’s Wild Dreams Tour and marked another significant setback in his recovery.
The Irish native revealed that he will be hosting radio shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Following his pneumonia, Feehily continued to face complications from his earlier illness and surgeries.
He developed a large incisional hernia — a weakness or tear at the site of his surgical incision — which required further major surgery.
Reports state he has undergone four major surgeries related to these health battles since 2020.
In October, Westlife paid tribute to Mark on stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall to mark their 25th anniversary – after confirming he is ‘still part of the band’.
The group, comprising Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne, celebrated their landmark with show without Mark Feehily, who had taken a step back amid health woes.
At the show, in which the trio played alongside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Shane paid tribute to their beloved bandmate, who is not joining them on tour but does appear on their new music.
During their rendition of 1999’s Flying Without Wings, the group opted to use The Voice and Clean Bandit star Kirsten Joy as a stand-in to sing Mark’s lines – which are often deemed the finest work in the group’s rich history.
Speaking to the crowd, lead singer Shane said: ‘I want to take a minute to talk about Mark, who unfortunately is not with us tonight. But we love him, we miss him, and we cannot wait to have him back on this stage with us…
‘The good news is he’s obviously on the new music, which you’ve heard already, Chariot, And, the next album as well, we have a new album coming out in February.
‘So this next song, I want to dedicate it to Mark because it’s Mark’s favorite song. That might give you a hint. It’s a beautiful song. So tonight we’d like to dedicate it to him and I’d like to invite Kirsten Joy down to sing it with us.
‘This song is probably the song that changed our whole career.’
It was confirmed earlier this year that Mark would not be joining his bandmates due to ongoing health woes.
In October, Westlife paid tribute to Mark on stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall to mark their 25th anniversary – after confirming he is ‘still part of the band’
The group, comprising Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne, celebrated their landmark with shows without Mark (pictured), who has taken a step back amid health woes
Speaking to the crowd, lead singer Shane said: ‘I want to take a minute to talk about Mark, who unfortunately is not with us tonight. But we love him, we miss him, and we cannot wait to have him back on this stage with us’
Despite the vocal powerhouse’s absence, last week Shane detailed the ‘importance’ of his appearance on the music and lauded his ‘great’ vocals on the track – one of which, Chariot, was released on Friday.
In an interview with Irish outlet RTE News, Shane delighted fans by giving an update on Mark, saying: ‘He’s unable to join the tour unfortunately as he’s mentioned already but being on the new song is very important…
‘He’s still a member of this band obviously and he’s sounding great on the new songs. We’ve got four new songs and an album coming out after Christmas…
‘A greatest hits compilation with four new songs but the new song that’s out next Friday is a really upbeat tune and it’s great to have him on there.’
One delighted fan shared the video of the RTE interview, writing: ‘Shane reiterates that Mark is still a Westlife member and is sounding great on the new songs…
‘He also confirms that there are four new songs (the first of which is dropping on Friday) on the new album which is a greatest hits compilation album. It will be out after Christmas’.
Following on from the sell-out duo of London gigs, the world tour announcement has sent fans wild with a new teaser hitting Instagram on Thursday.
The teaser featured an airport departures board, typically used to show departures times, locations and boarding gates. The airport is a nod to the video for their 2000 single My Love, in which the group are stranded in an airport.
During their rendition of 1999’s Flying Without Wings, the group opted to use The Voice and Clean Bandit collaborator Kirsten Joy (pictured) as a stand-in to sing Mark’s lines – which are often deemed the finest work in the group’s rich history
Shane and the band belted out their biggest hits as a trio
The band are seen in their original formation in 2000 prior to Brian McFadden (L-R Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, Brian McFadden, Nicky Byrne)
There is also a nod to their second studio album Coast To Coast, as the bottom of the shutterboard reads ‘Coast To Coast Airlines’. In the teaser the tour dates flicker.
In a statement, Westlife said: ‘This year marks 25 years since we started this incredible journey together and it still feels like only the beginning…
‘The support from our fans has been unbelievable, and to celebrate with this world tour, new music, and a brand-new album feels truly special. We can’t wait to see you all on the road and share this next chapter together…
‘New music, world tour, and that classic Westlife charm we all love it’s such an exciting time, can’t wait to see everything that’s coming!’
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