Former Westlife star Shane Filan has opened up about the true extent of his money troubles, which left him declaring himself bankrupt back in 2012, and confessed that a fan of his band tried to give him cash at a meet and greet event. 

During an interview with Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper, the heartthrob explained that he was so hard up that a fan handed him a £20 note ($32) and told him to buy his children something nice:

"At a pre-show meet-and-greet in Newcastle (in England) just after I was made bankrupt, a woman shyly handed me a £20 note. 'Here you go love,' she said, 'Get something nice for your kids'. I was so touched. I said, 'Thanks, but I'm not going to take your 20 quid'. I signed it and told her 'Keep it, and always remember the day you offered it to me.' I'll never forget her."

He went onto add that he wasn't embarrassed and instead found hope in the sweet gesture: "Moments like that lift you up and you think 'Maybe it's all going to be all right after all."

Filan, meanwhile, will be releasing his new book 'My Side Of Life' later this week (October 9) and it is available to pre-order now from Amazon for just £9 ($14). 

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Watch Filan talking about his autobiography below: