Heart 2 Heart with Shane

L&K's "Westlife Special" Magazine, July 2000
thanks to Jacqueline - pumbaa@enterprise.net - for this article!
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Shane, what would you most like people to know about you?
"That I'm quite good at snooker...actually i'm the best in the band!"

How do your Mum or Dad describe you?
"They'd say I'm generous and kind - a bit of a mummy's boy really!"

Reveal your earliest childhood memory...
"It has to be my first day at school - I was about three and a half. My mum dropped me off and I just cried and cried. My older brother looked at me through the window and just laughed!"

Are you a good judge of character?
"Yep, I can tell within five minutes whether a girl is chatting to me 'cause I'm in Westlife or its it's just 'cause she likes me. It's intuition, but I'm not giving the secret for working it out!"

How romantic are you?
"I think I'm romantic. I once filled a girlfriend's room with balloons and flowers on Valentine's Day."

Have you ever been in love, Shane? No, I've never been in love. I thought I was in love when I was about 15, (that's the girl I sent the balloons and flowers to), but when we finished I wasn't that upset, so it couldn't of have been really, could it?"

Have you ever had your heart broken?
"No, I've never had my heart broken 'cause I've never been in love. I've been dumped a couple of times, but I've never been heartbroken - not yet anyway!"

What do you look for in a girlfriend?
"I like Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman. I like a girl who makes me laugh - not someone who's clever, but they can't dim either! And not someone who talks so much - I hate it when you just can't get a word in edgeways!"

Is it weird that so many girls fancy you?
"It's weird that girls have got photos of me on their bedroom walls. I was quite popular at school, I wasn't shy, everyone knew me and I did have girls fancy me!"

So how good-looking do you think you are?
Out of 10, i'm five. My best features are my hands! They're not particularly big or small, but loads of people say they're really nice hands. My worst features are everything else!"

Which bit do you look at in the morning first?
"My face - what does everyone else look at first in the mirror?"

Who was the last person you hugged?
"Nicky about five minutes ago. We were both really tired and he just stood up and did a big stretch and I gave him a big hug."

What makes you smile?
Winning the Single of the Year award made me smile! And performing live - that gives me a great feeling."

When did you last bawl your eyes out and why?
"Two weeks ago. I probably cry about once a month! It was when I had to say goodbye to my mum. She always cries when I go away - even if its for three weeks - and seeing her cry always upsets me too!"

When and how did you first learn about the birds and the bees?
"I sort of taught myself! You kinda hear things at school and pick up stuff, but I never had one of thosee embarrasing parent chats!"

Describe your bedroom:
"My bedroom has cream walls and a wooden floor. And there are boxes and boxes of fans' letters that my mum puts in there for me yo read when I get home. I always tend to pick out the jazziest envelopes. So if there are lots and lots of plain white envelopes and one big red one, i'll open the red one!"

Whats your most treasured possession?
"My BMW car, but I hope to get a new Jaguar soon. I love fast cars. If the success of Westlife continues then I want to get a garage full of cars!"

Whats the best moment of your life so far?
"As far as Westlife goes, it's got to be getting to No 1 and winning the Single of the Year award."

What do you really worry about?
"I don't know what I'd do outside of the band, so it worries me to think about Westlife ending. I'm not a worrier by nature, but I think Kian is. I tend to bejust more laid-back and think, "Whatever happens, happens."

When did you last really lose your rag?
"Last week when I couldn't find my bracelet. It's a Gucci bracelet that my mum bought me, and I was just going mad, turning everything upside down trying to find it. I was shouting at everyone and saying things like, "It hasn't got legs, it can't walk away can it?!" But I found it in the bed. I don't usually lose my temper. I'm really good with words too, so if I'm faced with a tricky situation I can usually talk my way out of it and calm things down."

How tough are you?
"I don't think I'm tough at all!"

Have you ever been in a proper fist-fight?
"No I've never had a proper fist-fight, just scraps when I was a kid. But I would hit someone back if they hit me, I wouldn't just take it you know!"

Have you ever been banned from anywhere?
"No, I haven't."

What scares you most?
"The success of Westlife ending really scares me. Like I said, I don't really know what I would do. I know lots of people go into TV or have solo careers and stuff like that but I don't really know what I would do. It's a scary thought though."

Is your success or fame ever a burden?
"We can't go out without someone recognising us - I sometimes wear a hat, but I don't put on a full disguise! Some people can be really loud and shout, "There's Shane", and everyone looks at you. But some people just ask for your autograph which is OK. I'd never refuse to sign an autograph - when you do that, you've really lost touch. It's lovely to be able to do such a small thing and see someone's face light up 'cause of what you've done. They're the people buying our CDd so they're the ones who count."

How important is money to you?
"Health and happiness obviously comes first, but money is important. Westlife is my job, and if I do this for 10 years and at the end of it, don't have any money, I'd be really annoyed. Besides, you can't have privacy without having the money to buy a house that is secluded - you can't be famous and live on an estate!"

What do you most admire about Mark and what do you like least?
"Mark is the most private one among us. He very rarely confides his problems, but out of all of us, I think he would find me the easiest to open up to. But he sometimes tells lies! Things like, "No, I don't know what you mean - I wasn't there!" and you're like, "You were there Mark, I saw you!"

Finally, this interview has been..."Very good. Very interesting!"