Westlife star Mark Feehily has announced he’s “standing down” from touring with the band.
The pop star, 43, took to the band’s official Instagram page on Wednesday (February 28) to share a heartbreaking statement with fans as he issued an update on his heath.
Mark penned: “Hello and much love to you all! It’s Mark here. Most of you are aware that I have had some health challenges over the past while. It actually all started 3.5 years ago in August 2020 when I had surgery. Within a few days of this surgery, I was in severe pain and was rushed to A&E.
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“I eventually ended that awful day in ICU where I was informed that due to a complication with the surgery, I had developed severe Sepsis, a life-threatening infection that would require immediate emergency surgery to rectify the problem and basically save my life. In late 2021, I became very ill in Newcastle before a concert and ended up back in A&E, this time being told I had pneumonia.
(Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
“I was told I had to go straight home to recover and regrettably miss the rest of that concerts that December. I was referred to a consultant who told me I needed more surgery which I went ahead with in May 2022 meaning I was forced to miss more of The Wild Dreams Tour.
“Three months after that surgery, I tried my best to soldier on for you guys and go back on tour but unfortunately the physical demands of the concerts and extensive travel were proving too much for me. I developed a very large ‘incisional hernia’ and I was told that I needed further surgery to fix it. This would be my fourth major surgery since the start of it all, but I had no option.
“That surgery took place recently and thankfully it went accordingly to plan but with that, my recovery must now become my absolute priority at this time. 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 the chance to fully recover from the turbulent journey I have been through as an individual.
“To my parents, brothers, close family and friends, thank you for the relentless support as always. Thank you to my beautiful daughter for giving me constant daily motivation and inspiration to keep fighting through all of this and to get better asap, and to my partner Cailean for being there through the most challenging of times.”
He finished off his statement with an emotional message to his bandmates – Kian Egan, Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne. Mark wrote: “To Shane, Kian and Nicky, I love you three and I know you’ll knock it out the park. I’ll be there with you in spirit for each and every show whilst you continue to fly the Westlife flag around the world.
“To all the medical staff who held my hand and kept my spirits lifted (you know who you are), my heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of you. I’m so devastated that I won’t be there to celebrate the upcoming concerns with you and the three lads. I hope you know and understand that I should have been there (I was so excited to be there) and that I look forward to seeing you all again to make some more magic in the future.
“But for now, I have to make the right decision for my health and wellbeing, for my family, and for myself as a person. Please don’t worry. Sending the most positive vibes in your direction, I will see you very soon beautiful people! ‘WESTLIFE FOREVER! Love, Mark Feehily xx” Westlife are scheduled to embark on their North American tour next month, visiting the the US, Mexico and Brazil.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
