Westlife celebrated their 25th anniversary with a live performance on Britain's Got Talent during the show's third semi-final on Saturday. Taking the stage at the Eventim Apollo in London, the boyband—comprising Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, and Kian Egan—marked the milestone with a mash-up of their greatest hits, including Flying Without Wings and Uptown Girl.
The group, who are set to embark on a major world tour later this year, launched into the medley with their 1999 track Swear It Again before working their way through the years. Westlife's performance rounded off the evening after eight acts battled for a chance to win £250,000 and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance, with two acts advancing to the next stage.
Comedian Ted Hill won via the public vote, while fire-juggler Liwei Yang earned a Golden Buzzer from KSI, securing their places in the live final on May 30. Other acts that performed included Playground, The Lux City Choir, Mizuki Shinagawa, Mega Unity, Niamh Noade, and Antigravity, but not all could continue to the next round.
Tribute to Mark Feehily
Ahead of their performance, Westlife paid tribute to their absent bandmate Mark Feehily. Mark announced in 2024 that he would step back from the group indefinitely due to unspecified health issues. While he will not appear on the tour, he is still featured on their new album.
Speaking to The Mirror, Kian said: 'We're devastated he won't be joining us on this tour. We'll be missing him every night just as much as the fans will. But he's given us his full support. This is the 25th anniversary, it's something that we all felt needed to be celebrated. We hope as soon as he's ready he'll be back with us and we look forward to that moment.'
Westlife's Journey
Westlife soared to fame in 1998 when they were formed in Dublin, with the original line-up also featuring Brian McFadden, who left in 2004. The group broke hearts worldwide when they announced plans to disband in 2012 before embarking on solo careers. A hugely successful return in 2018 saw the group reform with comeback single Hello My Love and the announcement of The Twenty Tour for 2019.
In June, Mark's absence from the upcoming shows was announced. In a lengthy post, Westlife wrote: 'To our amazing fans, we would like to take this opportunity to share some very important news with you all. We are thrilled to announce the launch of our 25th Anniversary celebrations... On the 9th February 2001 we kicked off our first ever tour at the Newcastle Arena. Who would have thought we would still be here 25 years later? We have so many exciting plans to share with you very soon which will include new music, an album, special shows and many, many more surprises along the way. Sadly, Mark will be unable to join the celebrations. We hope he can join us back on stage when he is ready and able. He sends his love and positivity to you all as always. The four of us can't quite believe it's been 25 years. We could only have dreamt of the continued love and loyalty you have consistently shown us around the world. We are so lucky to have all of you with us and we can't wait to celebrate together! Happy 25th To Us All! Love, Kian, Mark, Nicky & Shane x.'
In 2024, Mark announced his temporary departure from the Irish boyband, just days before they were set to embark on their first ever tour of America. Prolonged ill-health resulted in the singer withdrawing from the band to recover after being diagnosed with sepsis.
