Mark Feehily

Mark had recognized his sexual orientation when he was 14 or 15 years old. His family, band mates and close friends knew his sexual orientation. Westlife's manager Louis Walsh, however, was unaware of Mark's sexual orientation when he began managing the group. As the only gay member in Westlife, Mark kept his sexual orientation private and never had a boyfriend. Unlike his band mates, Mark did not discuss his private life in interviews, although he had dated women prior to his coming out. He was shown with girlfriends in the press, but "in order to avoid speculation". In yet another interview, he told The Sydney Morning Herald that despite the fact that the majority of Westlife's fans are female, there had really been no negative reaction.

During the interview with The Sun, Mark also announced his romantic relationship with British fashion photographer Kevin McDaid, a member of the now-defunct British boy band V. The pair, who lived together, had been dating since January 2005 after having met at a Cheerios Childline Concert in Ireland. Mark said that while he did not intend on getting married right away, he was happy to know he could form a civil partnership in Britain with the recent passing of the Civil Partnership Act. Read Less