Irish pop star SHANE FILAN is convinced his former best friend "despises" Westlife after he was kicked out of the group in its early days.
Filan and his pal Derrick Lacey were founding members of the pop group Six As One, which was later moulded into Westlife under the direction of music manager Louis Walsh.
But Walsh only agreed to work with the singers if Lacey was booted from the group - and Filan was heartbroken when he was forced to break the bad news to his pal.
He tells Britain's Daily Mail Weekend magazine, "It was f**king horrendous. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to tell somebody. It was like I was saying, 'We can't be friends any more because I'm going off to do this band with Louis Walsh and you're not invited.
"I saw him the other day and he waved to me. We've had a couple of conversations, but I'm sure that he despises Westlife. He's still a nice guy but I don't know if he'll ever get over it... It's like winning the lottery and then getting the ticket taken off you."
Kian Egan, whose best pal Graham Keighron was also dropped, adds: "Of course he's upset. They're all upset. You're driving around in Bentleys and Ferraris, living in a castle at the top of the hill and he's working in a pub."