Brian McFadden's departure from Westlife ''scared'' his bandmates.

The 36-year-old singer - who made up one fifth of the Irish boyband alongside Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Markus Feehily - has admitted when he decided to quit the group in 2004 his fellow band members feared how long their success would last, although they all ''hated'' being in the band.

Speaking to the Irish Sun newspaper, the dark-haired hunk said: ''None of the other guys were enjoying it at that stage. They hated it. But when I left, they all got scared with this feeling, how long is it going to last?''

And the star believes if he hadn't have left the band - which was signed to Simon Cowell's record label - the groups future would have been a lot different, although he claims they group began to enjoy making music once he left.

He explained: ''If we had been given a break, it might have been different but when I look back now everything happens for a reason.

''They ended up appreciating what they had again and they started to love it again. They got eight years of something they were taking for granted.''

Westlife lasted for eight more years after Brian quit and eventually disbanded in 2012.