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Who is Shane Filan? Westlife singer who overcame bankruptcy and has released three solo albums now reunites with group


SHANE Filan is best known for being one fifth of Irish boyband Westlife.

The band are on the Jonathan Ross Show tonight, so here’s everything you need to know about the singer following the announcement of the group’s reunion…

 Shane Filan is a 38-year-old Irish singer who used to be in Westlife

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Shane Filan is a 38-year-old Irish singer who used to be in Westlife

Who is Shane Filan?

Shane Filan, 39, was born in Sligo, Ireland.

He is the youngest of seven children, with three older brothers and three older sisters.

Shane married wife Gillian in December 2003.

The couple have three children together, daughter Nicole and sons Patrick and Shane.

 Westlife was one of the biggest boybands of the late 90s and early 00s

Getty – Contributor

Westlife was one of the biggest boybands of the late 90s and early 00s

Is Shane Filan joining Westlife for a reunion?

Westlife split in 2012 but in 2018 they announced that they were planning a comeback. 

An industry insider told The Sun: “…There’s been a lot of speculation, but this time it’s a done deal and contracts have been signed….”

Brian McFadden quit the band in 2004 and will not be part of the reunion.

Shane, alongside Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Nicky Byrne and Brian McFadden, formed Westlife in 1998.

They were managed by Louis Walsh, who had led fellow Irish boyband Boyzone to international success.

The band had 40 million record sales worldwide, 14 number one singles in the UK and a total of 36 top 10 singles.

 Shane had to file for bankruptcy in 2012 which was hard for him and wife Gillian

Crispin Rodwell – The Sun Dublin

Shane had to file for bankruptcy in 2012 which was hard for him and wife Gillian

When did Shane file for bankruptcy and why?

Shane filed for bankruptcy the same year Westlife disbanded in 2012, after the property development company he owned with his brother Finbar, Shafin Developments, was placed into receivership with debts of €23m.

The singer was forced to give up the five-bedroom family home he had built himself in Carraroe, Co Sligo, and told The Irish Sun on Sunday it was a horrible period in his life.

He said: “It was one of those true stories where it was like it was really bad and I had to start again and literally rebuild my life block by block to a certain degree.

“I’m glad I’m past it because it was a very, very horrible time, difficult time for me and [wife] Gillian.”

What has Shane Filan been doing since Westlife split?

Shane released his first solo single, Everything to Me, in 2013 ahead of his debut solo album, You and Me.

The song reached number 14 in the UK charts and the album spawned two further singles.

Shane then released his second album, Right Here, in 2015 and dropped his third record, Love Always in August 2017.

He told The Irish Sun on Sunday: “It’s four years in, third album, I’m really happy with the way it’s going.

“I sing for my supper as they say and get to do concerts and travel the world so it’s great.”

Shane Filan – Everything To Me





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