I didn't want to be a solo Westlife - covers and ballads - and the reason I signed with Capitol Records was because they wanted me to write songs myself. It was pretty scary, but they put me in a studio in Nashville with some new songwriters, and the results were pretty good.

It's a big deal to bring your family on the road, you know? I'd love to do it sometime, but you have to work out schools and all that.

I love Ireland. I'll always be 100pc Irish. I get really excited when I go to Sligo; it's my home.

My wife is my best friend. The thought that people are afraid to go home to their partners for fear of being abused physically or emotionally makes me feel sick. It's not easy but you need to get help and get out.

I put all my eggs in one basket and invested in property. I didn't do anything internationally - it was all in Ireland.

After Westlife, I was in a scared place, you know; you've three children, and I worry about providing for them, and I had no guarantees going forward about the future.

For Westlife, the music will never stop as long as our fans are around inspiring us to keep on making beautiful music together.