Westlife took to the stage during the third semi-final of talent contest BGT – but one member was missing.
Westlife paid tribute to Britain’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell as they made a guest appearance on the show. The band performed some of their biggest hits ahead of their 25th anniversary tour during the third semi-final of the talent contest last night.
The heartfelt message saw bandmates Shane Filan, Nicky Bryne, and Kian Egan thank Cowell for being instrumental in their success. However, they remain without Mark Feehily, the fourth member of the quartet, who won’t appear on the tour.
On stage, Nicky said: “It’s been a long time since Simon Cowell suggested standing up from our stools on a key change.” Kian went on to pay tribute to Simon and said they wouldn’t have been there without him, reports the Mirror.
Stand-up comedian Ted Hill and foot juggler Liwei Yang took the plaudits during the semi-final and will now contest the Britain’s Got Talent final on Saturday, May 30.
Last year, Westlife confirmed that Mark, who has been battling a number of health issues since August 2020, would not be able to take part in the tour.
In a statement, they said: “Sadly, Mark will be unable to join the celebrations. We hope he can join us back on stage when he is ready and able. He sends his love and positivity to you all as always.”
Mark announced he would be taking a break from Westlife just days before first ever tour of America in 2024. At the time, he shared: “Hello and much love to you all! It’s Mark here.. Most of you are aware that I have had some health challenges over the past while.
“It actually all started 3.5 years ago in August 2020 when I had surgery. Within a few days of this surgery I was in severe pain and was rushed into A&E.
“I eventually ended that awful day in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) where I was informed that due to a complication with the surgery, I had developed severe ‘Sepsis’, a life-threatening infection that would require immediate emergency surgery to rectify the problem and basically save my life.”
He explained that he was in hospital for months during lockdown, and was later told he needed more surgery.
“It was physically and mentally a very difficult time, not to mention traumatic having to spend so long in ICU. In late 2021, I became very ill in Newcastle before a concert and ended up back in A&E, this time being told I had pneumonia. I was told I had to go straight home to recover and regrettably miss the rest of the concerts that December,” he said.
Speaking about Mark missing their big anniversary tour, Kian said: “We’re devastated he won’t be joining us on this tour. We’ll be missing him every night just as much as the fans will. But he’s given us his full support. This is the 25th anniversary, it’s something that we all felt needed to be celebrated. We hope as soon as he’s ready he’ll be back with us and we look forward to that moment.”
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