Simon Cowell Talks Of Stormy Relationship With Westlife

Pop mogul Simon Cowell has revealed that he and legendary Irish boyband Westlife almost came to blows during rows over work.

With a staggering 14 Number One singles, Westlife's relationship with Simon Cowell and manager Louis Walsh must've been faultless right? Wrong! In fact, the group nearly came to full-on fist fights during blazing rows with the man who originally signed them.

Speaking on tonight's ITV television special commemorating Westlife's career, Simon Cowell has gone on record saying things weren’t always as flawless as people thought: "We had face-offs. God we had fights. Me versus five, practically turning into a punch-up over disagreements."

Although remaining tight-lipped over what the arguments were about, Simon Cowell praised the group for their enthusiasm and professionalism throughout their early years.

"I don't think I've met anyone who worked as hard as these guys. They were like little puppies in those days. It was all about the fans. In those days the band was so happy and so enthusiastic and just wanted to sing.

Always with them it was about the fans. They were always conscious that no matter how tired they were people had paid to see them and they wanted to put on a show."

Westlife will star in a special ITV1 television show tonight at 9:05pm, the show will celebrate their careers prior to embarking on their 2012 Farewell UK tour in May.

Westlife UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:

Mon May 14th 2012 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tue May 15th 2012 - Liverpool Echo Arena, Liverpool
Thu May 17th 2012 - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Fri May 18th 2012 - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Sat May 19th 2012 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Sun May 20th 2012 - LG Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
Tue May 22nd 2012 - Capital FM Arena Nottingham, Nottingham
Wed May 23rd 2012 - The O2, London
Thu May 24th 2012 - The O2, London
Sat May 26th 2012 - MEN Arena Manchester, Manchester
Sun May 27th 2012 - SECC, Glasgow
Tue May 29th 2012 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Wed May 30th 2012 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Fri June 1st 2012 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Sat June 2nd 2012 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Mon June 4th 2012 - LG Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
Tue June 5th 2012 - Capital FM Arena Nottingham, Nottingham
Thu June 7th 2012 - The O2, London
Fri June 8th 2012 - LG Arena Birmingham, Birmingham
Sat June 9th 2012 - MEN Arena Manchester, Manchester
Mon June 11th 2012 - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff
Tue June 12th 2012 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Wed June 13th 2012 - Liverpool Echo Arena, Liverpool
Fri June 15th 2012 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Sat June 16th 2012 - SECC, Glasgow
Sun June 17th 2012 - SECC, Glasgow
Tue June 19th 2012 - SECC, Glasgow
Wed June 20th 2012 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Fri June 22nd 2012 - Croke Park, Dublin
Sat June 23rd 2012 - Croke Park, Dublin