The 5-minute Interview: Nicky Byrne, member of Westlife

'Non-fans just see four guys in black suits, they don't know us'

Nicky Byrne, 28, is a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. After 14 UK No 1 singles and 36 million records sold worldwide, Westlife return to the UK charts today with their new single 'Home', to be followed by their new album 'Back Home' next month.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Holding my son Jay on my knee and winding him. Our twins both need feeding at 11am and Georgina's feeding them both at the moment. They're great little dotes.

A phrase I use far too often is...

"Numpty." It's from a really funny advert for car insurance on TV that involves erratic drivers. A guy shouts "numpty" at another guy who rips the door of his car off. It just totally describes all the numpties on the road!

I wish people would take more notice of...

Roundabouts. It freaks me out when people don't use them properly.

The most surprising thing that happened to me ...

In my professional life, the time when Westlife sang with Kevin Spacey after the premiere of the film Beyond the Sea. Then for a Christmas special on ITV Kevin did "Fly Me to the Moon" with us as well which was great. In my personal life, I'd say the surprise of when the twins arrived eight weeks early!

A common misperception of me is...

A lot of people who aren't fans just see four guys in black suits on stage. They don't know our personalities or our characters, but that helps us take the mickey out of ourselves, it keeps us grounded.

I am not a politician but...

If I was I'd make sure everyone could have Monday mornings off for that extra lie-in after the weekend.

I'm good at...

Football. I always played as a kid although I don't get to play as much now. Also, cooking. I'd love to do a chef's course, and I really enjoyed watching Hell's Kitchen.

I'm very bad at...

Getting into small elevators. If they look ropey, even if the meeting's on the 30th floor, I just won't get in. I'll walk or I'll not go to the meeting.

The ideal night out is ...

If it's with my wife, a nice meal in Shanahan's restaurant in Dublin, or if we're in London then somewhere like the Cipriani. Then, meeting up with the rest of the lads and their partners to go to a club for a party.

In moments of weakness I...

Have a fry-up. Georgina's very into nutrition but nothing beats sausages and eggs in the morning. I love chips too.

In a truer life I would have been...

A footballer. Football was my life when I was a kid – I played for the Ireland 16-18s and was signed by Leeds after that.

The best age to be is...

Well, I'm 29, so I'll say 29.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

Live the dream.

Naomi Walker