Mark Feehily of Westlife has announced he is to step back from the band and will not be joining them for their upcoming tour due to ongoing health issues.

The 43-year-old singer recently underwent surgery to treat a hernia and said he was also treated for sepsis during a Covid lockdown in August 2020.

Feehily said his hernia surgery was a success but he has been advised to take time to recover and not go back on tour with Westlife.

Westlife are currently preparing for their US tour and they will play Canada, the USA, Mexico and Brazil.

The multi-award winning Irish boyband have 14 UK number one singles to their name and have amassed seven top-selling albums during their career.

They are known for hits including Flying Without Wings, Fool Again and Unbreakable, among many others.

In his post on social media, Feehily said: "Most of you are aware that I have had some health challenges over the past while.

"It is with the upmost level of regret that I must now temporarily stand down from all Westlife touring until a time that I have had the chance to fully recover from the turbulent journey I have been through as an individual."

He also paid tribute to his Westlife bandmates and the medical staff in his post.

"To Shane, Kian and Nicky, I love you three and I know you'll knock it out of the park," he said.

"To all the medical staff who held my hand and kept my spirit lifted (you know who you are!) my heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of you."