A star of Westlife admitted being in multi-million pound debt left him “worried and scared”.
Shane Filan, 45, was made a household name when he shot to fame in the 1990s as part of the Irish boyband. Teaming up with the likes of Eurovision star Nicky Byrne and I’m A Celeb star Kian Egan, Shane was a huge name in the music industry for two decades.
As part of Westlife, he had a string of hits including Flying Without Wings and You Raise Me Up. But while he was conquering the charts, Shane says that behind closed doors, things could not be further from the dream.
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After the band broke up in 2012, Shane – who had once been a business and accounting student – faced tough times, as he had racked up a whopping £18million of debt. He also was grappling with the heartbreaking loss of his beloved mum in 2017, something that had affected him deeply.
(Image: Getty Images)
Right before the band went on hiatus, Shane had sunk millions of pounds into a property business together with brother Finbarr. The brothers had big plans to set up a slew of homes and businesses, including number of homes, a nursing facility and a supermarket.
But at the turn of the decade, the Irish economy had tanked, which led to the company’s complete collapse, leaving with him debt that was continuing to rack up. Looking back on the experience, Shane said: “I have worked long and hard to try to reduce my debts, and I am devastated that it came to this conclusion.”
Shortly after the death of his mum, his father Peter also died just ten months afterwards following a long spell of ill health, before “peacefully passing away in his sleep” in hospital. Shane was left crestfallen and took to social media to lament the loss of his dear father.
(Image: Instagram)
“I lost the most important man in my entire life, my dad Peter,” Shane shared with fans. “He was my best friend, my guidance through life and an absolutely amazing father; he was my hero.”
Shane’s mum was also instrumental in bringing Shane into the band, as she had spoken with mogul Louis Walsh take a chance on her son. The former X Factor judge said: “Every mother says their son is brilliant – I believed Mae Filan; and I met them and there was something about them, they were rough around the edges.”
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Despite the multiple setbacks Shane suffered in the six-year hiatus, his singing career continued to take off, releasing three solo albums, before the band reunited in 2018. Since then, the band have continued to tour, teaming up with fellow Irish troupe Boyzone to create – Boyzlife, touring around the country to the delight of fans.
As well as this, the band are continuing to sell records to this day. The band’s album Spectrum topped the charts in 2018 when they returned to the music scene, while their second album Wild Dreams was released in November of 2021.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
