The boys of Westlife will be having a busy year in 2003 – not only is the hunky fivesome's Nicky Byrne planning to wed, but now his bandmate Shane Filan has announced he's tying the knot as well.
Shane revealed to the News Of The World that he proposed to his girlfriend Gillian Walsh two weeks ago while on holiday in Dubai. He explains: "We were lying on some deckchairs and Gillian was saying how amazing the stars looked, so I pulled out the ring and said, 'What do you think of this star?'"
After the pop singer got on one knee and asked "Will you marry me?", his business school graduate girlfriend couldn't contain her excitement. "Gillian screamed, said yes, and started crying, hugging and kissing me," recalls Shane. The couple kept their plans to wed a secret from their families until Christmas day.
The announcement follows bandmate Bryan McFadden's romantic 2002 nuptials and Nicky Byrne's recent engagement to girlfriend Georgina Ahern. "Two Westlife weddings next year and a tour is gonna be crazy," says Shane. "But the band will not be splitting up. Getting married won't change Westlife's outlook."