Mark Feehily forced to miss five Westlife summer shows as he undergoes surgery

The 42-year-old singer told fans online that he has been told to rest and will not be able to join the rest of the band, who are currently in the midst of their Wild Dreams tour, for five shows.

“Hey lovely people, it's Mark here,” he wrote. “This summer, our Wild Dreams tour continues and we are so blessed for the huge love and support we receive from our fans worldwide.

“We have five shows taking place this summer from May - July.

“And it is with deep regret that I will not be able to join Shane, Kian and Nicky on stage for those shows.”

He added: “This week I have to undergo a little bit of surgery.

“There is nothing to worry about I promise, but under doctor's orders this surgery needs to happen sooner rather than later and will also require some recovery time throughout the summer.

“To all our amazing fans in Denmark, Sweden, Mexico, Cardiff and Henley, I want you to know that I was very excited to see you all and perform but this is something that can't be avoided and I know that you will all still have the time of your lives at what will be some amazing shows!

“I'll be there with you all in spirit and very much look forward to getting back on stage with the lads very soon!

“Much love to you all and keep in touch – I'll still be around to say hi. YOU'LL BE MISSED.”

His band mate Nicky Byrne showed support by leaving strong arm and heart emojis in the comments section underneath the caption.

Kian Egan's wife Jodi also sent her love to the singer

Mark had only got the all clear from his doctor earlier this year, to get back on stage after he was struck down with a bout of pneumonia.

After struggling over the previous few weeks he was forced to pull out of a Westlife show in Manchester back in November.

He said at the time: “I have so much thanks to give. I won't lie, although there are lots of people much worse off than me, the past six weeks have been very difficult.

“Weirdly the most difficult thing was not being ill (that wasn't easy either!) it was having no choice but to sit back and watch my own band be on tour without me and miss all of the shared moments of joy and happiness with the other lads onstage and of course the interaction with the audiences and fans.”

He praised his bandmates who had “re-choreographed and re-arranged the entire show with about one hours notice that evening in Newcastle when I had to make the horrible phone call to tell you I couldn't do the show”.

“The way you handled it shows how talented and professional you three are! You kept the @westlife flag flying for the rest of December and I'm so grateful for that,” he declared.

Mark has been performing around the world with Shane Filan, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne on The Wild Dreams Tour, which is set to conclude in Bangkok in February.

But Nicky has also experienced a bit of drama and falling through the stage earlier this month at their Glasgow gig, leaving him with bruises.