Mark Westlife has surprised heaps of his band's fanbase by revealing that he is gay.

The announcement came in today's Sun newspaper, and Mark went on to explain that he's never had a problem with his own sexuality, but hadn't wanted to talk about it in public because he's not the 'look at me' type.

He said: "I have never tried to hide who I am from anyone, but I'm a very private person and in the past I haven't felt the need to say anything about my sexuality."

He went on: "I want people to know the truth about my sexuality. I am gay and I'm very proud of who I am. I'm not asking for any for any sympathy, or to be a role model to anyone else. I simply felt it was the right time for me to let people know the truth."

Mark also revealed that he's currently in love with Kevin McDaid, who you might remember as being one of V. He said: "I would like to say that I'm happy, and that I've found someone who is a real companion. It does get lonely being on the road with the band sometimes and I'm very happy now I'm in a relationship with someone who makes me laugh."

And before anyone starts throwing words like 'brave' around, Mark was quick to explain that he's not doing this to get the approval of the general public: "I'm not worried about how people react because I'm happy being who I am."