I haven't even asked Mr Ahern yet for his daughter's hand
WESTLIFE star Nicky Byrne yesterday revealed how he's baffled by reports
that he's set to wed the Taoiseach's daughter Georgina Ahern.
Nicky (21), who is hoping to make pop history with Westlife as they bid for
their fifth-in-a-row Number One hit told the Sunday World: "I really don't
know why papers are saying I'm getting married.
"One British Sunday newspaper even claimed I'd leave Westlife to marry
Georgina.
"There's absolutely no truth in any of those stories. I haven't even asked
Mr Ahern for his daughter's hand in marriage."
The young idol has been dating dark beauty Georgina since before Westlife
was formed and he says: "I have said that Georgina is the person I want to
spend the rest of my life with. But that statement has been totally blown
out of proportion.
"Suddenly everyone is saying I'm getting married and that's not the case. I
have no more plans for getting married today than I did yesterday or four
years ago.
"I've never asked Georgina to marry me. That's not to say I won't when the
time is right, but that could be six to 10 years time.
"If I was ever to marry Georgina I would ask Mr Ahern for his permission
because I'm an old traditional guy. My dad asked my mam's dad, so I'd do
that.
"Hopefully Mr Ahern would let me, if I asked him for his permission to marry
Georgina.
It would be nerve-racking having to ask him. I would be so nervous it would
probably take me six weeks to build up the courage."
Despite the pressure of pop fame, Nicky has managed to maintain his
relationship with Georgina.
Although she often flies out to join him when Westlife are working in the UK
and Europe, the couple are regularly parted for long periods.
Westlife are set to spend the next couple of months in America and Asia,
doing live tours and promotion, and Nicky admits the long separations are
difficult.
He says: "We keep the relationship going by phone. Myself and Georgina have
been so long together that we totally trust each other.
"Georgina is someone that I would love to be still with in 10 years time."
Westlife are heading for the Guinness Book of Records next weekend, with
their fifth single, Fool Again, being hotly tipped for the Number One spot.
It follows Swear It Again, If I Let You Go, Flying Without Wings and I Have
A Dream. No other band in the history of pop has achieved a five-in-a-row
string of hits and Westlife are set to do that in a 12-month period.
They are also poised to crack the lucrative American market, a feat that
bands like Take That and Oasis failed to achieve.
Nicky adds: "With so much going on in the band it would be unfair on both of
us to enter into marriage at this stage. We're just having fun at the
moment."