Shane picked up the latest copy of Smash Hits again. Although he’d read the article so many times he could practically recite it by now, he wanted to read it again.

The reason I left Westlife...

Only two days after fans world-wide were shocked by the revelation that Shane Filan was quitting the biggest boy band in the world, he tells Smash Hits exclusively the real reason why he left the band....
Shane walked into the office on Monday afternoon, looking happy but anxious at the thought of the interview, but he wasn’t alone. He walked in hand in hand with a slim brown-haired girl, who hadn’t been seen before.

So Shane, are you going to introduce us?
Of course. This is Karen. My fiancé.
Your fiancé?
Yeah. That’s right. We’re getting married.
Congratulations. How long have you two known each other?
Well, Karen and Georgina (Nicky’s girlfriend) grew up together. She came along to a party Nicky and Georgie threw a couple of years ago, and we got on really well. At first, I’d just send her letters and little souvenirs whilst we were travelling, and we’d speak on the phone every now and then. Then, when I had last summer off from the band, I spent a lot of time at home, and we started dating.
When did you realise that Karen was ‘the one’?
I don’t really know. As soon as I met her, I knew there was something special about her, but I didn’t know quite what. But I’d probably say that within a couple of weeks of last summer starting, I knew that this was going to be a long term relationship.
Did she feel the same?
I don’t know. I liked her so much that I didn’t want to scare her off by getting too heavy too quickly.
How did the rest of the Westlife guys like her?
They’re all really pleased for us. We often go out with Nicky and Georgie, so we probably get on with them the best. But all of the guys were really happy when they realised that we were serious about each other.
How did Karen react when you told her you were leaving the band?
The reason I left the band was that when we told Louis (Walsh) that we were getting married, he said he wouldn’t let me. He told me that I had to choose between the band and Karen.
So you chose Karen?
Yeah. I loved being part of Westlife, but I knew that if I let Karen go that I’d be so miserable that I wouldn’t have been able to put my whole self into the band, and then I’d have lost both of the things I love the most.
What did the rest of the guys and Ronan say?
Obviously, they didn’t want me to leave. We have been through so much together, but they appreciated the fact that Karen and I are in love. They also know what a romantic I am!
So, will we get an invite to the wedding?
Of course! Smash Hits gave Westlife their big break, and you’ve always been really good to us, so of course you can come!

A quick word with the bride to be...

So Karen, how do you feel about finally ‘going public’ about your relationship with Shane?
Mixed feelings totally. It’s a huge weight off of both of our shoulders to finally be able to be honest with Shane’s fans, but of course, we have no way of knowing how they’ll react. I just hope that they will accept me, and not criticise me, Shane, or our relationship.
How did Shane propose?
Beautifully. That’s all I’m saying.
How did you know that you wanted to say ‘yes’?
I knew that Shane is the one person who I know will make me laugh and cry in the same day. He’s been there through the death of my dad last year, and I’ve helped him during hard times with the band. We have a totally honest relationship, and we can tell instantly when one of us is lying. I’ve never been happier than I am with Shane right now.
Well, good luck for the big day when it comes. We’ve already had our invite!
Really? Well, guess I’ll see you there then. And thanks. We want all of the Smash Hits readers to know that their support means a lot to us, and we hope that we get it from you.

It had come out really well. Both Shane and Karen were pleased with the way they had come across. There was a photo of the two of them sitting on the sofa in the office, both of them with huge smiles on their faces. Later that day, they were going out to brave the public. It was the launching of Ronan’s new album, and it was going to be their first public showing. They had decided to walk, as it was only a couple of blocks from Shane’s flat. They wanted to talk to some of the fans there. Apparently, their had been fans there since first thing this morning, and if the reports were to be believed a lot of them were more interested in seeing Karen and Shane than in seeing Ronan.