Byrne hopes for Westlife support

Westlife singer Nicky Byrne would like his bandmates to support his stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

The 33-year-old Irish star will be showing off his moves in the upcoming season of the BBC dance show and hopes that at some point, his former colleagues will come and cheer him on.

"I don't know but I hope so. It would be great if they could, although we've only broken up two months now so I don't even know where in the world everybody is. It would be good if they come down," he said at the show's launch.

Nicky said he has always been tempted of the thought of appearing on the dancefloor.

"It's something that I always thought in my head, 'maybe one day'. Now that I'm here, it feels strange, especially walking the carpet without the lads. It's weird but it's going to be a good challenge," he added.

The singer - who said he's "here for a laugh" - has already been bonding with the other male contestants including Olympic gymnast Louis Smith, cricketer Michael Vaughan, actor Colin Salmon and ex-EastEnders star Sid Owen.

"A few of the lads - Louis, Vaughan, Colin and Sid, we've all been hanging out together and having a good laugh. We've been swapping stories and all," he said.

The next series of Strictly Come Dancing begins on BBC One on September 15.