Westlife's Shane Filan reveals terrifying £18million debt ordeal and double tragedy

's has opened up about the terrifying ordeal of being in a staggering £18 million , confessing it left him "worried and scared".

The 45-year-old singer, who became a sensation in the '90s with the Irish boyband alongside 's Nicky Byrne and jungle favourite Kian Egan, enjoyed two decades of stardom with hits like 'Flying Without Wings' and 'You Raise Me Up'. Despite his chart-topping success, Shane reveals that life away from the limelight was far from perfect.

The band's split in 2012 marked the beginning of a financial nightmare for Shane, who had previously studied business and accounting. The downturn was compounded by the emotional blow of losing his mother in 2017, a loss that hit him hard.

In the lead-up to Westlife's hiatus, Shane and his brother Finbarr had poured millions into a property venture, ambitiously planning to develop homes, a nursing facility, and a supermarket. However, their dreams crumbled along with the Irish economy at the turn of the decade, leading to the business's failure and Shane's mounting debts, reports the .

READ MORE:

Reflecting on those challenging times, Shane expressed: "I have worked long and hard to try to reduce my debts, and I am devastated that it came to this conclusion."

Following the passing of Shane's mother, his father Peter left the just ten months later after a prolonged period of ill health, ending his days "peacefully passing away in his sleep" while hospitalised. The incident sent shockwaves of sorrow through Shane, who took to social media to express his grief over the loss of his beloved father.

"I lost the most important man in my entire life, my dad Peter," Shane posted to his followers. "He was my best friend, my guidance through life and an absolutely amazing father; he was my hero."

Shane credited his mum as well for her pivotal role in his music career, having convinced music impresario to gamble on Shane's talent. Reflecting on that time, the erstwhile arbiter remarked: "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."

In spite of these personal heartaches during the group's six years apart, Shane's solo singing endeavours soared, with three solo albums to his name, paving the way for the band's resurgence in 2018. Since then, Westlife has been wowing crowds with tours, including a collaboration with Ireland's own Boyzone to form - Boyzlife, bringing joy to fans far and wide with their performances.

Moreover, Westlife carries on smashing sales records. Their album Spectrum hit number one following their comeback, and they released another crowd-pleaser, Wild Dreams, in November 2021.