Westlife may be one of the countries most successful groups with a
string of number one hits and sell out tours to their name, but for
one member of the famous five, Bryan Mcfadden, the true measure of
success and happiness is his stable home life. Together with his
gorgeous wife Kerry, 23 year old Bryan has brushed aside the fickle
world of celebrity in favour of a loving family environment.

The couple, together with their children, Molly, two and Lilly Sue,
eight months have just moved in to a palatial 6 bedroom home in
County Dublin where they've created a cosy family unit.

Because of their hectic work schedules, both Bryan and Kerry, also
23, crave the refuge that their new home offers. Bryan has been busy
touring with Westlife and working on their new album and Kerry has a
number of TV commitments - including ITV1 hit show Loose Women.
However, away from the spotlight, the pair relish parenthood and
spending time with their close knit circle of family and friends.

Both Bryan and Kerry seem well deserved of the happiness that fame
and success has bought them. It's wisely known that Kerry suffered a
hugely traumatic childhood, which meant that she was fostered at a
young age. And like most celebrities the couple have been subject of
tabloid stories - including an incident of infidelity during Bryan's
stag weekend that threatened to ruin their marriage.

However, the couple are understandably keen to move on and as they
sit cuddling and laughing throughout the interview, it's obvious that
their marriage is as strong as ever.

Sitting in the conservatory of their luxurious home, Bryan and Kerry
talk with honesty about how they've retained the romance in their
relationship, the difficult periods in their marriage and why they
want to adopt a child.

You've recently moved in to your dream home in County Dublin. How
does it feel to be in such a cosy family environment?
Kerry: We used to live in an apartment just around the corner, but
this place is much better, especially for the kids because Molly can
run amuck! We love living here, it's our dream house. It's great
living in Ireland and I never want to leave, the people are so
friendly - although we haven't got to know our neighbours yet and
have kept ourselves to ourselves. If you get to know the neighbours
too much they'll start popping round when you're trying to have your
tea!

Both of you are from relatively modest backgrounds. It must be
bizarre to be living in such luxury.
Kerry: It's really really strange for me. Sometimes I walk around the
house and I have to pinch myself because I can't believe this is
ours. I just keep thinking I'm going to wake up from this dream. It's
also weird for my friends and family when they come over from England
to see me living here. I used to live in a one-bedroom council flat
with my Mum, which was probably smaller than our conservatory. It's
just really surreal.
Bryan: It's similar for me because I lived in a normal house on a
housing estate. Before, Kerry and I lived in a nice apartment, but
it's nothing like this place.

Kerry, the story about your unstable family background has been very
well documented. Has it always been your dream to settle down and
have children?
Kerry: Yes, it is lovely to have a proper family with two children,
but we are putting them up for adoption next week. Only joking! It's
really great when Bryan comes home from work and there's just the
four of us, though the house always looks like a tornado has hit it
because Molly's so messy - as is Bryan! It means the world to me that
the kids and Bryan are here. All that matters is that I've got a
husband and two beautiful kids and I've no intention of letting that
go.

Bryan, as part of Westlife you are adored by millions of fans. It
must be a big transformation to go from being a pop idol on stage to
being a dad at home changing nappies?
Bryan: Definitely, but I think it's great. Obviously Westlife is a
major part of my life but as soon as I walk through the front door I
switch off. It's almost like I'm living two completely different
lives because at home I'm a father and a husband and it's a down to
earth lifestyle.

With two very young children demanding your attention, is it
difficult making time purely for each other?
Bryan: It is hard, I suppose, because when we are not working we're
looking after the kids. We get so little time off and, because of
this, we feel it would be unfair to offload the kids on to one of our
mothers so we can spend time together. We do love to go out, though.
If we're in Dublin we love to go to Lillie's Bordello and we also
like going to a kareoke bar nearer home. We always get up and sing
and nobody bothers us. At the start of the evening we have no
intention of singing, then we go and get drunk and you can't get us
off the stage!
Kerry: We love being together as a family but it's so important that
you spend time just together because otherwise you can become unhappy
with each other and the kids will sense that.

You're regarded as having one of the most stable relationships in the
industry. How have you retained the romance in your marriage?
Kerry: Bryan can be romantic, can't you darling? But Bryan's kind of
romance is cuddling and kissing.
Bryan: While you want expensive presents.
Kerry: No I don't. That's an awful thing to say! We do go out for
meals but it can be difficult because of the kids. When I was five
months pregnant with Lilly, Bryan called me and ordered me to get
dressed because we were going out. He came round to the apartment
with a bunch of red roses and he took me out for dinner, then we
stayed at a hotel. In the morning he sent me another dozen red roses -
so he can be romantic!

Does it ever feel strange that you're both still in your early
twenties and have two children?
Kerry: I've always been older than my years, probably because of my
background. Having a family feels so natural and I'm loving it. None
of my pregnancies were planned but it was never like `oh no.' It
happens and you just have to get on with it. We've done more in our
short lives than most people do in an entire lifetime, such as
travelling the world.
Bryan: I'm exactly the same. I'm only 23 but I feel more like 28.
It's probably because I've had so many amazing experiences.

Would you like to have more children?
Kerry: Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I want to wait at
least another five years and I'd love to have a little boy. We'd also
like to adopt because it's such a nice thing to do. There are so many
kids out there who have horrible lives and have been abused. I was in
foster care so I understand their situation and would like to give
something back.

Despite the constant rumours of a Westlife split, the band continue
to go from strength to strength. Has being in a successful band put a
strain on your relationship?
Bryan: If we were working to the extent that we were two years ago
then I'm sure it would have affected our relationship in a bad way.
Westlife are now at the stage where things are going really well and
we don't have to work as hard. A few years ago we would never have
taken days off and there was no such thing as a weekend.
Kerry: People always assume that we never see each other but we're
together most of the time. I also think it's great to have some space
in a relationship as well because it makes you appreciate each other -
and it also gives me time to clean up after Bryan!

Kerry, you've been busy presenting shows such as Loose Women. Has
this helped retain your own identity so you're not just perceived as
being a Westlife wife?
Kerry: It wasn't the Westlife tag that I've wanted to get away from
but the fact that I'm always being known as once being in Atomic
Kitten. Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of being in the band, but
it's been three years now and it'd be nice to be known as Kerry
Mcfadden. I've got my own identity now but I still get called `that
bird married to Bryan from Westlife.' I do have a name, you know! But
it doesn't bother me because I'm very proud to be married to Bryan.

There have been recent reports that the Atomic Kitten girls are under
weight. Do you agree?
Kerry: Tash [Natasha Hamilton] has lost a lot of weight. But I don't
think she's done that deliberately. She's always been really thin -
before she was pregnant she was size six. They do say that after
you've had a baby it's easier to shed the weight so I guess it's a
lot to do with Tash running around after Josh and her busy work
schedule - I mean she's bound to loose weight. Liz [McClarnon] is
also skinny but then I'm just jealous. They're all beautiful girls
with great figures.

Bryan, are you still in touch with Natasha Hamilton's former fiancé
Fran Cosgrove, who used to be a bodyguard for Westlife?
Bryan: I saw him a few weeks ago. It's awful when couples split up
and you're friends with both of them and it particularly difficult
when there's a baby involved. Fran's seeing Jodie Marsh and we all
went out three weeks ago. They have a genuine relationship and he
seems very happy.

Kerry, your co presenters on Loose Women seem obsessed with your
chest. Do you ever get fed up with people discussing your boobs and
weight?
Kerry: Like the rest of the nation, they're obsessed by them. When I
got offered Loose Women I'd never seen the show before and my agent
thought it would be great for me because I could show people what I
was really like, rather than being seen as a blonde, big boobed,
dizzy person.

You look like you've lost weight. Is it true you've been taking
slimming pills?
Kerry: Yes. I've lost about 6lbs off my left boob! Seriously, I've
managed to loose about half a stone in a perfectly healthy way. We
were talking on Loose Women about me taking slimming pills. But the
truth was, I was in a chemist and I bought some herbal slimming
tablets. I thought I'd try them to see what they were like. I only
remembered to take two because I'm terrible when it comes to taking
pills, hence the two babies. I don't think they even work to be
honest. I lost half a stone purely from running around after the
kids, and as for eating, I've got in to a healthy routine of making
sure I eat breakfast and having smaller meals - and I've also been
going to the gym.

As with all marriages, you've had your problems, most notably
concerning an incident on Bryan's stag weekend involving a lap dancer
which has once again reared it's ugly head in the papers. How have
you got over this difficult time?
Bryan: What happened was a hiccup in our life and we've got over it
and that's the end of it. Tabloid newspapers just try and print the
worst picture possible.
Kerry: I think that when you're married, weather you're a celebrity
couple or not, you're bound to go through difficult times. I love
Bryan so much and I believe our love is strong and I wouldn't throw
our marriage away. The papers are always trying to make out there are
problems, it's just like the stories about Victoria and David Beckham
not getting on. Because the Beckhams come across as being perfect,
the press are so eager to ruin their relationship which is so unfair
on them. They've got kids like us and I don't want my kids reading
rubbish about our relationship. I suppose the Beckhams have become a
product, whereas I know Bryan loves me and he knows I love him but we
don't need to prove that to anyone else and I guess that's what they
kind of do. But I do feel really sorry for the Beckhams because
there's so much pressure on them.
Bryan: The media like to blow things up. I love Kerry and that's the
end of it. Obviously there's been one hiccup which, despite it
happening two years ago, the media keeps bringing up. It's getting
boring as it's such old news. Kerry and I are married now with two
children and we don't want to keep talking about how we got over this
problem. We've got over it but nobody else seems to have. We're happy
and we don't want to talk about it anymore.

Westlife are one of the most successful bands to come out of Ireland,
but there will come a day when the group splits. Will you continue in
the music industry, Bryan?
Bryan: There are no plans to split. We're going to do the album and
then the tour and then decide where to go from there - we're just
taking it album by album. Westlife are a family and there are no
egos. When we do move on, I don't think it will be like Boyzone,
where there was disagreement because the lads didn't know what was
going on. We have a very close relationship and we all decide when
it's over. At that point we'll all move in to doing our own thing.
I've got no solid plans but it'll probably involve going solo or
being a full time songwriter.