Westlife’s Mark Feehily has revealed Mariah Carey once ate Chinese food sitting on the floor of his friend’s flat in Hoxton – and isn’t a diva at all.
The Irish singer, 37, who is making a comeback after he was asked to be Mimi’s special guest on her epic Christmas tour in December, gave an incredible insight to what hanging out with the star off-stage is really like.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun Online, Feehily, said: “They say never meet your idols — but this couldn’t be more opposite for Mariah.
“The last time I went to see Mariah she was playing in Wembley.
“Afterwards we went to a friend’s apartment in Hackney.
“We literally ordered a Chinese and sat on the floor eating our takeaway.
“So we were sitting on the floor, eating our Chinese and drinking champagne in a flat in London, discussing what was going on on the telly and having a laugh.
“Her super stretch white limo was parked outside the block of flats. Next to all the other cars!
“To me that’s a good example of who she is, the biggest selling female superstar of all time, a massive diva, she loves all the fabulous life of course but at same time she’s very down to earth and not afraid to hang out in her mates flat and have a Chinese and a bit of a laugh.”
The pair met in 1999 when she recorded duet “Against All Odds” with Westlife, and have remained friends ever since.
Feehily, who has kept a low profile since Westlife split five years ago, been quietly working on new material for next year, when he got the call to be part of Carey’s epic show.
He said: “I’m beaming. Doing a Christmas record is an idea I’ve had for a long time.”
He said: “Then when I got the call and the opportunity to be the special guest on the Mariah show it felt like the perfect opportunity to put this idea into action – at the biggest Christmas event in the pop world this year.”
Feehily has turned his life around after reaching his lowest point when Westlife split, at the same time he was nursing heartbreak from separating from his fiancée.
He recalled: “So Westlife ended and my seven year relationship ended all at once. That was a tough and dark time. There no aftercare. It’s like ‘Thanks for selling 55 million albums, now bye!’ It’s tough.”
Feehily told how he took time away from the spotlight to rebuild his confidence and got therapy.
After quietly plugging away with new material, he got the call he had dreamed of from their mutual gigs agent saying Mariah wanted him on the tour.
He added: “This Mariah gig is the icing on the cake.”
UK dates for the “Mariah Carey: All I Want For Christmas Is You” tour include Sunday, Dec. 10 at the Manchester Arena and Monday, Dec. 11 at the O2, London.