Shane Filan has opened up about going bankrupt and how it affected his life.
The former Westlife member had to file for bankruptcy in 2012 after his property development company went into receivership.
He lost everything including his own home in Sligo.
Speaking honestly about the difficult time, Shane described it as a ‘horrible time’.
“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.
“It was kind of like, ‘this is going to be scary’, but it made me focus and say, ‘this has to succeed, this can’t just be another guy from a boyband who doesn’t do well, it had to be a success’. And it is and it’s just forward now and it’s just good. I’m happy, I’m healthy, the kids are,” he told The Irish Sun.
The singer admits that he feels it happened for a reason but adds that he tries not to dwell on it.
“I’m glad I’m past it because it was a very, very horrible time, difficult time for me and Gillian. Obviously the kids, I protected them from all of that, you have to. But it happened for a reason, that’s the way I look at it and I look forward now, I don’t look back.
“Yesterday happens, you can’t fix it. I can fix tomorrow, I can try and move forward. And that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m in a good place. Next year is looking good and after that I’m planning my next album or whatever it will be.”
Shane, who is back with his third solo album, Love Always, admitted that he found it difficult to settle into a different life after Westlife finished.
“It’s weird because you are in this massive protective bubble of something called Westlife. Afterwards, you have to take a breath for a second and say ‘how am I going to find my way here and go for the next chapter of my life? God knows where it’s going to go’.
“It’s the same with Niall Horan. Speaking from another Irish person in a band, I’d say it’s a complete culture shock to him coming out of the 1D madness, which is a similar kind of thing to Westlife — a huge boyband and you kind of have to start again.”
