The boyband Westlife is to make a major announcement later today on the future of the band amid growing speculation that one of its members may be quitting.
Louis Walsh, the band's manager, refused to comment on the growing rumour that one of the five band members, Bryan McFadden, is to leave the group. "I can't say anything until the announcement tomorrow," he told reporters last night.
McFadden has recently enjoyed success outside Westlife as co-writer of Ireland's Eurovision entry for 2004, If the World Stopped Turning. The song is to be sung by this year's You're A Star winner, Chris Doran, who won the contest on Sunday.
McFadden (24) is married to former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, who recently won the reality television show, I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! They have two children and live in north Dublin.
If the singer quits, it could jeopardise the future success of the band. A world tour is being planned by the group for later this year. Westlife is also scheduled to record an album.
The band has been one of the most successful Irish music acts of the last decade. It became the first band to have seven consecutive number ones in the British charts, and has to date had 13 number one singles.
Formed around the nucleus of three friends from Sligo - Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan - the fledgling band was taken on in 1998 by Louis Walsh following the demise of of his first successful boy group, Boyzone. Walsh added Dubliners McFadden, and Nicky Byrne, now married to Georgina Ahern, daughter of the Taoiseach.