Post by shayne on Jul 30, 2007 21:27:52 GMT 8
Interview by Dawn Emery
Photos by Sven Arnstein
Brian McFadden is never short of female attention. His girlfriend is beautiful Australian singer Delta Goodrem, his younger sister Susan - who has just won the lead role of Sandy in a West End production of Grease - has moved to south-west London to be nearer to him, and then, of course, there are his two daughters, Molly, five, and Lilly Sue, four, from his relationship with ex-wife Kerry Katona.
The former member of million-selling boyband Westlife spends as much time with his children as possible. "I see them for a week here, and a week there," he says. "Then I get to see them some weekends. Most of the time we go to Ireland together so we can spend time with my family."
Brian and the girls were on a trip to Disneyland Paris when he was told that Kerry had been held at knifepoint while thieves ransacked the Warrington home she shares with her new husband Mark Croft.
With Kerry checking in at the Priory to recover from the trauma of the attack - she has been treated there before for bipolar disorder - Brian and his parents will look after the children.
Brian and Kerry split in 2004 and their divorce was finalised last year, though legal constraints still prevent the singer from discussing his relationship with his ex-wife.
Molly and Lilly are clearly close to all of Brian's family. Susan says that the girls "idolise" her parents, Brendan and Mairead, and the little girls were keen viewers of ITV1 talent contest Grease is the Word, which won Susan the role of Sandy, made famous by Olivia Newton-Jogn in the film.
Brian, Delta and his parents were in the audience when Susan, 24, won the final. "It was a very, very proud moment," he says. "Susan has never ever wanted to let me help her. She did it on her own, which was great."
The siblings both attended Dublin's Billie Barry stage school and Brian reveals: "Susan was famous before I was. When she was ten, she did Annie and there was a pretty big deal about it. She was all over the press so I used to be called 'Susan McFadden's Brother'. "
Through Brian, Susan has seen that fame can bring its pitfalls. The Dublin-born singer described himself as "the most hated man in Ireland" after his acrimonious split with Kerry.
Brian, 27, says he has been concentrating on his songwriting in the past two years - and on his relationship with Delta, who battled the cancer Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2003. The couple are both due to release solo albums later this year.
Susan, meanwhile, is busy with Grease rehearsals, and is completely smitten whth her boyfriend, ex-Hollyoaks actor Adam Booth, whom she met when they both appeared in panto in Wakefield last November.
Susan and Brian talk to Hello! about finding fame, their upbringing, and coping with media scrutiny.
Brian, has your fame affected Susan's career?
Brian: "I'd say it was probably a hindrance. I only went to one Grease is the Word show - in case people said it was unfair that Susan had that attention drawn to her."
Susan: "There's a perception that because Brian has been successful, he could help me get anywhere I want in showbusiness, but it's so not true. He's a pop singer and I'm in musical theatre and they're two completely different worlds."
You've seen Brian experience the downsides of being famous....
Susan: "I think that really helped me in Grease is the Word, because I've seen how it can be great one minute and then turn nasty. No Matter what, as long as you have your feet on the ground and your family, friends around you, that's the most important thing. I think that's what helped Brian, you know, we're such a strong family and he's got good friends."
When Brian got bad press did it affect the family?
"Oh completely. When I've seen Mum and Dad upset, it's been really hard. We know he's not a bad person - he's got a heart of gold. I think it's important that at the end of the day, we know what to believe."
What was your upbringing like?
"Very, very normal. Our Dad was a sales rep and Mum was a housewife. We were very lucky. As you get older and see different things, you appreciate the upbringing that you had. Mum was very strict on us."
Brian: "Our friends would be allowed out later than us and we couldn't understand why at the time. We appreciate it now - we didn't get into drinks or drugs or stuff like that. I think we've turned out well, the two of us."
Was Brian always more confident?
Susan: "He's more outgoing that me, definitely. I'm like my Dad - we're quite laidback but quite shy. We're happy to sit back in a crowd, but my Mum and Brian will be ones who get in the tick of it and chat to anybody."
Susan, what did you do before Grease?
"I moved to London in November 2005 and spent a year working in Harrods' beauty department while auditioning. I did a TV advert and a small TV programme, but for most auditions I would always get to the last two or three people and then not get the role. It got the point where I was thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to go home,' because nothing was happening."
Does it help that your boyfriend Adam is in the same industry?
"In a way it does - we've both got lots in common and it's great to come home and talk about your jobs, because you're genuinely interested in them. But in a way it's hard because we spend a lot of time apart - Adam is away on tour with Never Forget, the Take That musical."
An ex-boyfriend did a kiss and tell on you. Had you been expecting that?
"No, it was a complete and utter shock. I didn't even read it. It was literally the day after I won. I was on such a high and then it was crash back down to earth again. You just think, 'Why would someone do that?"
Was Brian supportive?
"He was great with me. He was also great to my boyfriend. He took Adam out and had a bit of a heart to heart with him and said, 'You know, don't let it get to you, it's tomorrow's fish and chip paper.'"
Do you feel too young to marry?
"We've only been going out since Christmas, so it's nice to just enjoy the honeymoon period. Because we spend quite a bit of time apart, it's always exciting when we see each other. He makes me really happy."
Brian, you married young, has this put you off?
"I think every man who goes through a divorce gets the feeling of, 'I'm never doing that again,' but when the time is right... I probably would get marriend and I would definitely marry Delta."
Your relationship with Delta began under difficult circumstances. Did this make it stronger?
"By the time the two of us got together, there was such a mess around us that we just created a bubble. It's so much easier when you can share problems rather than bottle them up on your own. We could talk about it and end up laughing about it. But life works in weird ways; it goes up and down. Delta was the biggest-selling artist in Australia when she got her cancer and I'd come off the back of Westlife when I had all my trouble. We both had so much already, that you have to have some downs. I've got a feeling that's going to be the best time ever for us. We're due some luck."
Do Delta and your daughters get on?
"The kids adore her, they love her to bits. It's hard not to really, she's so warm. She's great with them."
What are Molly and Lilly like?
"They're very, very different. Molly is very like me when I was a child. She's very smart, very cheeky. Lilly is a lot quieter. Molly has to be around people whereas Lilly goes off and does her own thing."
What kind of father are you?
"I can be strict at times, you know, I don't like them being rude. I'm not overly strict, but just to say please and thank you."
Tabloid reports implied that you'd said having a child was like getting a dog.... Did you say that?
"What I said was that I was so young when I had kids, I was so immature, that I had the same mental attitude as when a child gets a dog for Christmas and doesn't understand that it's a huge responsibility."
Are there benefits to being a young dad?
"We were just saying this yesterday, that me and Molly within the space of four months will have our 18th and our 40th birthdays, so we can have a big double party. It's cool to think that when they're grown up and start looking after themselves, I'll still be young enough to enjoy the same things as them... there's not much of a difference between our generations."
Are Molly and Lilly following in your musical footsteps?
"They play piano and guitar - I was trying to teach Molly the guitar but she just wants to do it herself. It makes for a very noisy house."
Susan: "I've been trying to teach Molly Irish dancing. It's funny, she sort of hops around like a manic bunny. Molly came in to me last night and she said, 'I want to sing you a song I wrote.' She had all the words written down in her notebook."
Delta has been quoted as saying that she wasn't sure she'd be able to have children. Would you like more?
Brian: I'm sure some day we'd like to. Delta's only 22 and the way our life is at the moment, the way our careers are... it's definitely not the right time. But some day, who knows? Kids aren't accessories, they're not something you just decide to have one day, and I've learned that.
What are your work plans?
"My new album is in the producing/mixing stage, and since January I've been working with Delta on her new album. I'm also signing a deal with an American record label where I'll be writing for their artists. I've also been managing a band called Franklin for a few years now. So there's a lot going on."
Do you have any regrets?
"I have absolutely no regrets because I wouldn't be here today if I had changed anything. I've got two beautiful kids, I've got an amazing girlfriend, my family are all good at the moment - Suzie is being successful, and my own career is starting to go the way I want it. I couldn't be happier."
*cheers to the photographer. love this one!*
Bri just keeps looking better and better.. i can eat him alive! pwoar!
Photos by Sven Arnstein
Brian McFadden is never short of female attention. His girlfriend is beautiful Australian singer Delta Goodrem, his younger sister Susan - who has just won the lead role of Sandy in a West End production of Grease - has moved to south-west London to be nearer to him, and then, of course, there are his two daughters, Molly, five, and Lilly Sue, four, from his relationship with ex-wife Kerry Katona.
The former member of million-selling boyband Westlife spends as much time with his children as possible. "I see them for a week here, and a week there," he says. "Then I get to see them some weekends. Most of the time we go to Ireland together so we can spend time with my family."
Brian and the girls were on a trip to Disneyland Paris when he was told that Kerry had been held at knifepoint while thieves ransacked the Warrington home she shares with her new husband Mark Croft.
With Kerry checking in at the Priory to recover from the trauma of the attack - she has been treated there before for bipolar disorder - Brian and his parents will look after the children.
Brian and Kerry split in 2004 and their divorce was finalised last year, though legal constraints still prevent the singer from discussing his relationship with his ex-wife.
Molly and Lilly are clearly close to all of Brian's family. Susan says that the girls "idolise" her parents, Brendan and Mairead, and the little girls were keen viewers of ITV1 talent contest Grease is the Word, which won Susan the role of Sandy, made famous by Olivia Newton-Jogn in the film.
Brian, Delta and his parents were in the audience when Susan, 24, won the final. "It was a very, very proud moment," he says. "Susan has never ever wanted to let me help her. She did it on her own, which was great."
The siblings both attended Dublin's Billie Barry stage school and Brian reveals: "Susan was famous before I was. When she was ten, she did Annie and there was a pretty big deal about it. She was all over the press so I used to be called 'Susan McFadden's Brother'. "
Through Brian, Susan has seen that fame can bring its pitfalls. The Dublin-born singer described himself as "the most hated man in Ireland" after his acrimonious split with Kerry.
Brian, 27, says he has been concentrating on his songwriting in the past two years - and on his relationship with Delta, who battled the cancer Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2003. The couple are both due to release solo albums later this year.
Susan, meanwhile, is busy with Grease rehearsals, and is completely smitten whth her boyfriend, ex-Hollyoaks actor Adam Booth, whom she met when they both appeared in panto in Wakefield last November.
Susan and Brian talk to Hello! about finding fame, their upbringing, and coping with media scrutiny.
Brian, has your fame affected Susan's career?
Brian: "I'd say it was probably a hindrance. I only went to one Grease is the Word show - in case people said it was unfair that Susan had that attention drawn to her."
Susan: "There's a perception that because Brian has been successful, he could help me get anywhere I want in showbusiness, but it's so not true. He's a pop singer and I'm in musical theatre and they're two completely different worlds."
You've seen Brian experience the downsides of being famous....
Susan: "I think that really helped me in Grease is the Word, because I've seen how it can be great one minute and then turn nasty. No Matter what, as long as you have your feet on the ground and your family, friends around you, that's the most important thing. I think that's what helped Brian, you know, we're such a strong family and he's got good friends."
When Brian got bad press did it affect the family?
"Oh completely. When I've seen Mum and Dad upset, it's been really hard. We know he's not a bad person - he's got a heart of gold. I think it's important that at the end of the day, we know what to believe."
What was your upbringing like?
"Very, very normal. Our Dad was a sales rep and Mum was a housewife. We were very lucky. As you get older and see different things, you appreciate the upbringing that you had. Mum was very strict on us."
Brian: "Our friends would be allowed out later than us and we couldn't understand why at the time. We appreciate it now - we didn't get into drinks or drugs or stuff like that. I think we've turned out well, the two of us."
Was Brian always more confident?
Susan: "He's more outgoing that me, definitely. I'm like my Dad - we're quite laidback but quite shy. We're happy to sit back in a crowd, but my Mum and Brian will be ones who get in the tick of it and chat to anybody."
Susan, what did you do before Grease?
"I moved to London in November 2005 and spent a year working in Harrods' beauty department while auditioning. I did a TV advert and a small TV programme, but for most auditions I would always get to the last two or three people and then not get the role. It got the point where I was thinking, 'Oh, I'm going to go home,' because nothing was happening."
Does it help that your boyfriend Adam is in the same industry?
"In a way it does - we've both got lots in common and it's great to come home and talk about your jobs, because you're genuinely interested in them. But in a way it's hard because we spend a lot of time apart - Adam is away on tour with Never Forget, the Take That musical."
An ex-boyfriend did a kiss and tell on you. Had you been expecting that?
"No, it was a complete and utter shock. I didn't even read it. It was literally the day after I won. I was on such a high and then it was crash back down to earth again. You just think, 'Why would someone do that?"
Was Brian supportive?
"He was great with me. He was also great to my boyfriend. He took Adam out and had a bit of a heart to heart with him and said, 'You know, don't let it get to you, it's tomorrow's fish and chip paper.'"
Do you feel too young to marry?
"We've only been going out since Christmas, so it's nice to just enjoy the honeymoon period. Because we spend quite a bit of time apart, it's always exciting when we see each other. He makes me really happy."
Brian, you married young, has this put you off?
"I think every man who goes through a divorce gets the feeling of, 'I'm never doing that again,' but when the time is right... I probably would get marriend and I would definitely marry Delta."
Your relationship with Delta began under difficult circumstances. Did this make it stronger?
"By the time the two of us got together, there was such a mess around us that we just created a bubble. It's so much easier when you can share problems rather than bottle them up on your own. We could talk about it and end up laughing about it. But life works in weird ways; it goes up and down. Delta was the biggest-selling artist in Australia when she got her cancer and I'd come off the back of Westlife when I had all my trouble. We both had so much already, that you have to have some downs. I've got a feeling that's going to be the best time ever for us. We're due some luck."
Do Delta and your daughters get on?
"The kids adore her, they love her to bits. It's hard not to really, she's so warm. She's great with them."
What are Molly and Lilly like?
"They're very, very different. Molly is very like me when I was a child. She's very smart, very cheeky. Lilly is a lot quieter. Molly has to be around people whereas Lilly goes off and does her own thing."
What kind of father are you?
"I can be strict at times, you know, I don't like them being rude. I'm not overly strict, but just to say please and thank you."
Tabloid reports implied that you'd said having a child was like getting a dog.... Did you say that?
"What I said was that I was so young when I had kids, I was so immature, that I had the same mental attitude as when a child gets a dog for Christmas and doesn't understand that it's a huge responsibility."
Are there benefits to being a young dad?
"We were just saying this yesterday, that me and Molly within the space of four months will have our 18th and our 40th birthdays, so we can have a big double party. It's cool to think that when they're grown up and start looking after themselves, I'll still be young enough to enjoy the same things as them... there's not much of a difference between our generations."
Are Molly and Lilly following in your musical footsteps?
"They play piano and guitar - I was trying to teach Molly the guitar but she just wants to do it herself. It makes for a very noisy house."
Susan: "I've been trying to teach Molly Irish dancing. It's funny, she sort of hops around like a manic bunny. Molly came in to me last night and she said, 'I want to sing you a song I wrote.' She had all the words written down in her notebook."
Delta has been quoted as saying that she wasn't sure she'd be able to have children. Would you like more?
Brian: I'm sure some day we'd like to. Delta's only 22 and the way our life is at the moment, the way our careers are... it's definitely not the right time. But some day, who knows? Kids aren't accessories, they're not something you just decide to have one day, and I've learned that.
What are your work plans?
"My new album is in the producing/mixing stage, and since January I've been working with Delta on her new album. I'm also signing a deal with an American record label where I'll be writing for their artists. I've also been managing a band called Franklin for a few years now. So there's a lot going on."
Do you have any regrets?
"I have absolutely no regrets because I wouldn't be here today if I had changed anything. I've got two beautiful kids, I've got an amazing girlfriend, my family are all good at the moment - Suzie is being successful, and my own career is starting to go the way I want it. I couldn't be happier."
*cheers to the photographer. love this one!*
Bri just keeps looking better and better.. i can eat him alive! pwoar!