Westlife star Mark Feehily has admitted he finds it tough to deal with being overweight.
The Sligo singer was particularly “self-conscious” as a teen because he was carrying excess pounds and struggling with his sexuality at the same time.
And Mark – who has just been named the 55th sexiest man in the world, by gay magazine Attitude – said he still has “bad days” over his weight.
He said: “I was chubby in school so was always self-conscious. Westlife helped as there were always complements flying in.
Help: Westlife stopped Mark feeling so bad | VIPIRELAND.COM
“Nowadays I’ve settled into myself and have good days and bad days… During the second half of my teens, I was struggling to deal with my sexuality and was chubby so that was a big challenge.
“But I was a good singer and I used to win lots of tennis tournaments so it was a roller-coaster, like many teen lives.”
Last week it emerged that Mark splashed out more than €3,000 on a week-long stay at a French weight-loss retreat after piling on the pounds since the band split.
And the 34-year-old admitted that he would “like to be healthier and lose a bit of weight” but wouldn’t resort to surgery.
France: Mark went to weight loss camp in bid to slim down
He added: “But in general I wouldn’t really change anything. I’m happy with what I got.”
Now Mark insists he is still planning on working in the music industry after Westlife’s split two years ago.
He has been relatively quiet since their final Croke Park shows unlike his bandmates, but is understood to have been working on recording an album although hasn’t signed a deal.
Asked his goal for life now, Mark said: “To continue to make music, I want to be proud of each and every thing I do from this moment on regardless of chart positions.
“But in saying that, I’m driven and want to be successful too, so those two things combined would be the goal!”
Fuller figure: Mark found it tough after Westlife | VIPIRELAND.COM
And Mark said that the biggest thing he was proud of in Westlife was how long they lasted.
Asked his greatest achievement in life, he said: “Someone asked me this recently and I was like, ‘eeehhhhhhh… hmmmmm…’.
“And they were like ‘Errrrr… WESTLIFE!’ Of course it’s Westlife, but within that I think the longevity and the amount of gigs and albums we sold, and Mariah.”
Since the end of Westlife, Nicky Byrne has found a new career as a 2FM DJ while also working on a solo record.
Bandmate Shane Filan bounced back from bankruptcy with his own album and tour, while Kian Egan won I’m A Celebrity and released a covers record alongside his coaching job on The Voice.
