It’s a season in the sun for Westlife singer Nicky Byrne and his beautiful
wife Georgina and their 17th month old twins Rocco and Jay. Following the last
tour - and the biggest gig of their ten year career, The Westlife four embarked
on a year off for rest, refreshment and reflection on the amazing pop decade
they have shared since starting out as giddy kids.
Nicky and Georgina had planned to stay at home and enjoy their sons, who were born eight weeks early by caesarean in April last year in Malahide, Dublin. But, instead they seized the chance to christen their new villa just a stroll from the sea, in a green and pretty conservation area in Portugal.
They had waited two years for their holiday home. Just a shell when we found it, to be furnished in their own sleek and modern style. SO it’s been both heaven and novelty for the pair, to fly south, and chill, cooking round the barbeque and watching little Jay and Rocco enjoy alfresco fun and freedom.
Besides marking Westlife’s ten year sabbatical, childhood sweethearts, Nicky and Georgina , daughter of former Taoisecah Bertie Ahern, have just celebrated their fifth, wedding anniversary. And just after showing HELLO! around their hot new house, they are making ready to fly back home for Nicky's 30th birthday party, which we will be reporting on soon.
Next spring, Westlife lads Nicky, Mark, Kian and Shane, will be back together for a new album, and a fresh decade of hits. "We have achieved something special as a band," says Nicky. "And I don’t think it will be surpassed, for along time yet. We don’t want it to end. "
Tell us what led you to Portugal.
Nicky: We were meant to have this time off after 5 years, then 6, then 7, the
goalposts kept moving, as Westlife did an album and tour every year, Finally
we hit the big milestone of ten years. We had just played this really big concert
to 85,000 people at Croke Park, So the time seemed right. The house here was
only ready for us in summer, the perfect moment to turn this house into a home.
What’s your lifestyle like that down here?
N: It’s completely different to anything we have known from our usual
packed schedules. It’s altogether more chilled and for me its great to
me to be a hands on dad, to the boys. We have had glorious sunshine since we
arrived in June, We have a small gym in the house, and we are members of the
local gym, so we take turns to go to the gym for training. I play a lot of golf,
very badly, - and Rocco and Jay have their own little clubs. We barbeque a lot
and are eating more healthy. As soon as we are back in Dublin, I’ll be
ordering in chicken and chips or heading to my mam’s for a fry - up.
Georgina: Meanwhile Nicky has learned, how to bake fish in tin foil, with a
little olive oil, and black pepper. It’s divine.
How would you sum up parenthood?
N: It’s chaos.
G: We have been married for five years, after going out for 9-10 years, before
that. We said that when we got married we became even closer, and that was an
amazing feeling. But when children come into the equation it’s a totally
different thing altogether. But it was tough in the beginning. Now it’s
chaos as Nicky says but good chaos. From the day Rocco and jay were born, it’s
been like a whirlwind, But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Are twins an added blessing or double trouble?
I think it’s harder as well as a blessing, There was time when a few of
our friends who had babies, at the same time as us said , "It’s getting
easier now isn’t it" And we looked at each other, and said “hmmmm......is
it?”. It’s great that the boys have someone to play with, and so
there are a few when there interaction means we get a little time to interact
too. It’s pretty special now, they are starting to chat to each other
and have a real little friendship.
Do you have a nanny?
G: We didn’t, because the boys were born eight weeks earlier, and in special
care for a month. So by the time we took them home we wanted them all to ourselves.
We seriously wanted all the cuddles for ourselves. It’s lucky we have
had so much family around us, both our parents and sisters, all offering to
sit and help us out.
Were you warned that twins could come early?
G: I’d half though they might come four weeks early, maybe 6 weeks ahead
of time, but eight weeks caught us off guard. I was only back three days, from
being on tour with Nicky, I thought we’d have weeks to prepare.
It must have been a scary episode…
G: We gained extra time with them because they were born early, that’s
the way we see it. But when you are not used to it, it is frightening, to see
such tiny babies wired up to incubators. We were always reassured they were
healthy, but having had them literally, with me throughout the pregnancy it
was upsetting, that they now couldn’t sleep beside me."
N: As a father, I found it very hard to see what Georgina was going through,
with the babies taken away to a different part of the hospital, there were lots
of tears.
Would that experience put you off having the five children,
you once wished for?
N: {laughs} I don’t know about the five, but we are definitely going to
have more children. Though we need a lot more sleep first. We shouldn’t
shy away from adding to our family, with two little boys around the house and
no girls, I think we need a girl, but whatever God sends us."
Tell us more about Rocco and Jay…
G: They are quite different , I don’t like to label them too much, because
they change so much, every week, but Jay has a calm, character though he can
be a little monkey too. Rocco is more feisty, but very tactile and loving, wanting
to hold your hand. Like Jay he’ll come up and plant kisses on you. Jay
was born second at 3lbs, 11oz, but he’s slightly bigger than Rocco who
weighed in at 2lb 14 oz. In those early days we would literally, sit and watch
them grow. Rocco really got his name from the start, as he was our little fighter.
We chose Jay's name as teenagers, when we first started to think about our family.
We thought it sounded cute and cool. "
Nicky, did you really decide at 14 years old, that
Georgina was going to be your wife?
N: I’d known her for two years, from school when, on budget day, she and
her sister appeared on TV with their dad, on the tv that evening. That’s
when I told my mam, she was the girl I was going to marry. She just laughed.
The given view is that young love never lasts…
N: Behind out back people have though that, especially when Georgina got into
college, and I went away to play football for Leeds. But our parents always
backed us, and never ever said we were too young.
Given all the stresses of the pop culture, how have
you kept your relationship so strong?
N: Mainly ‘cause we love each other, and we wanted to make it work. We
have that certain bond, even through difficult times, when we’ve had no
sleep, or we are almost at the end of out tethers, we look out for each other.
We have followed no rules books for our marriage just made up our own on the
way along.
G: We make time for each other, Obviously it has been harder since the birth
of Rocco and Jay, because we still get only 2 hours of sleep a night, and end
up four in a bed. Still we’re hoping to take our first short break alone
together just before Christmas.
What’s the one most significant, vows you made
to each other?
N: It’s being there through the good times and the bad. Nothing is perfect.
We also bear in mind anything could be around the corner. What you enjoy today
could be gone tomorrow.
The pop scene offers a lot of temptations, that could
be divisive…
N: There is a lot of female attention with a boyband, so if you wanted that
lifestyle it’s offered on a plate. But I had an amazing girlfriend, then
wife at the same time, as a great career unfolding and I was just so happy to
have Georgina to share the buzz with me when I came off stage. You don’t
want to be jumping up and down like a lunatic, all on you own. Flying on a private
jet, is fun, but so much more to do it with someone you love.
In what way would you like the boys’ upbringing,
to mirror your own?
N: Family values will be just as important to them as they were for me. Growing
up I was always taught that no one is better or any worse than you. Others might
have more money but they are no better. I just want the boys to grow up honest
and trustworthy. My mum was always stricter than my dad, who said “Just
enjoy yourself and do what you do. But never bring the police to our door.”
It was good counsel.
How do you think the boys might be influenced by having
a grandad who is the Taoiseach?
G: They might well turn out to be politically inclined, as many in my dad’s
family are. I thought my dad should write a little book for Rocco and Jay, telling
them stories in a way they would understand. We would like them to be interested,
and to know everything he has done as well as to share his walks in the park,
and delight in nature. My dad has had two girls to share this with and now he
has two boys.
Nicky if the boys grow up to favour football over music,
as you did at first, would you want that for them?
N: If that is what they wanted, I would be there for them. Knowing a lot more
about deals etc, and contracts than I did when I was 17 years old. I have no
regrets, without Leeds united I wouldn’t be in Westlife now. My time there
gave me enough money to come home and buy a karaoke machine. I set myself up
in gigs in pubs.
Not many people know, that you also worked in a menswear
shop between Westlife and Leeds united…
N: I lasted about weeks in Alias Tom, because although I was fitter than in
training, my feet were killing me by the end of the day . It’s the only
time I have had a 8.30-6pm job and the shop gave me a discount.
What do you plan for the next ten years?
N: Ten years is a long time in the music industry. We have already have an amazing
ten years, in a business where boybands come and go in a flash of lighting.
As four musicians we love each other, and I’d be very happy to continue
what I’m doing. Right now we are looking for some great new songs, to
start recording in America next year. A year from now we want to come back with
the top album of our career, so I’ve no plans to change anything right
now. Though if it all did come to an end, there is another path I would like
to pursue. Two years ago I took an acting course in New York, and I really liked
it.
Nicky once said that his philosophy was to ‘Live
the dream’. Is this indeed what you are both doing?
G: I definitely think we are, it’s fantastic .We enjoy the simple things
in life, with lots of extra bonuses, but best of all is having kids. - I know
people who have them, every day, but when you have them for yourselves, you
look at them and can’t believe it.
N: All my expectations are constantly being fulfilled. I’m living the
dream as we speak.
Credit/Source: Hello! magazine / Thanks Joanne at westlifefanaticvip.com for scanning the pictures and typing up the interview