Westlife have opened up about their decision to split for the first time and even revealed that manager Louis Walsh begged them not to disband. 

The 'Flying Without Wings' stars, who will take their 'Greatest Hits' album on the road for what will be their final tour next year, told the Daily Star newspaper that there was "nothing to fix" and calling time on their impressive collective career is "not a publicity stunt". 

"It’s not a publicity stunt," exclaimed Nicky Byrne. “There was more money on the table from Sony Records as part of a re-negotiation but it feels right to see what else is out there.”

Mark Feehily explained that music mogul Walsh was desperate to save them from quitting, and added: "Louis said to us: ‘Whatever is wrong we’ll fix it,’ but there’s nothing to fix. It’s a natural thing to happen. We couldn’t go on releasing albums until we died.”

Their farewell arena tour will kick off on May 14 in Newcastle, and frontman Shane Filan said the final date will mark the definitive end of Westlife:

“The tour will be the end of Westlife. We’re hoping to do one last extravagant show and it’s going to be horrendous when we come off stage, the worst day.”

Watch the music video for Westlife's last ever single, 'Lighthouse', below: