Wild West - November 2006

 

By Kim Dawson

 

THEY’VE gained a reputation as squeaky-clean types, but those Westlife boys know how to live life dangerously.

 

Mark Feehily proves the point by chatting on his mobile while driving to Dublin airport to pick up his boyfriend.

 

“If I cut off I’m sorry, but I’m on the look-out for the police, as I’m driving.” He tells me. Naughty, naughty!

 

Tired

 

To make matters worse, Mark, 26, and his bandmates – Nicky Byrne, 28, Shane Filan, 26 and Kian Egan, 26 – are actually playing truant.

 

Tired of promoting new release The Love Album, they have told their manager, X Factor’s Louis Walsh, 54, they will be off home for a few days. Mark explains: “It’s been hectic, so we all said we wanted to go back to Dublin and things would have to be rescheduled.”

 

Despite taking a break, the boys look set to beat Oasis to the No.1 album spot on Sunday. And as proper “Oirishmen”, Westlife would challenge the Gallaghers in the bars as well as the charts.

 

Mark is a veteran of boozy all-night sessions. He admits that a recent bender left him with such a vicious hung-over, he ignored the buzz of his phone.

 

Mark recalls: “I didn’t want to speak to anyone as I’d been drinking so much the night before.”

 

It took 10 tries before Nicky could get him to answer – and break the news that he’s expecting a baby with wife, Georgina, 28, daughter of Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, 55.

 

Mark came out last year and is dating Kevin McDaid, 22, of defunct boyband V. But he’s fed up with people asking if that means he’ll be coping Madonna, 48, and adopting a child.

 

Mark sighs: “I can’t see it happening in the distant future. Madonna looks like she’s taken a kid into a safe, solid family environment. With her as young mother, you wouldn’t be having arguments about going out!”

 

Bath

 

Once the album fight with Oasis comes to a halt this Sunday, Mark is hoping for more time off. More boozing?

 

“I want to see Casino Royal. I used to watch James Bond films after my bath every Saturday night as a kid. They seem to have got the casting on the ball with Daniel Graig. I couldn’t say I fancy him, though, as I’ve never met him. Kevin’s more my type.”

 

And with that, Mark’s foot is on the pedal and it’s back to the showbiz loife.

 

Credit/Source: Daily Star / Thanx Amanda for the scan