AceShowbiz - Mark Feehily struggled to recover from the depression he suffered at the height of his fame with Westlife, but insists he's "living proof" why suicide is never the answer. The Irish singer shot to fame with the boy band in 1998 but fell into a downward spiral and became "very unbalanced" after his bandmates teased him about his weight.

He tells Britain's Daily Mail Weekend magazine, "Back then, all I wanted to do was go home for a long, long time. It wasn't all bad, but there were a lot of feelings that started to creep into my mind. I didn't want to be there getting picked apart by everyone. My weight's always fluctuated from chubby to above normal and I didn't like my bad points being pointed out. I didn't think anyone had the right. There was a time I was very unbalanced."

The pop star is relieved he didn't take any drastic measures during his low points, because his life eventually improved - and he's now thrown himself into charity work to help others who are suffering. He adds, "I'm involved in charities in Ireland now. One is called Aware and it is based around suicide, particularly in young kids. It's something that's very close to my heart. I'm not saying I ever planned anything, but you go to quite a deep, dark place and there's no one to turn to."

"I'm lucky. I'm living proof it's better to not choose (suicide), and fight your way through it. But it wasn't easy. I buried my feelings of unhappiness deep inside myself."