Joining us for a stroll in the woods are Mark's chatty family. There's parents Marie and Oliver, his little brother Barry who loves riding the family horses Star, Freddy, Charlie and Jenny, and his even littler brother Colin who's crazy about football and supports Man Utd much to Barry's disgust - he supports Liverpool. Oh, and not forgetting Snoopy the dog who loves to have his ears rubbed and is very good at taking himself for a walk by holding his lead in his mouth! We send Mark off to throw sticks for Snoopy and settle down at the bench in the woodland clearing for a revealing chat!
So what was Mark like as a child?
Oliver: He was a busy baby, always active and climbing everywhere. It was hard to keep him quiet and the only way we could make him sleep was to put the radio by his cot. I think that must have embedded the music in his mind!
Marie: He was always on the go and if you turned your back for a second he'd be up on the table taking biscuits! But he was a brilliant young lad at school; very bright, very intelligent.
Did he ever get into trouble?
Marie: Once, on holiday in Wales, we decided to have a nice, quiet dinner in the hotel while Mark was asleep upstairs. In the middle of our dinner meal he woke up, turned the dustbin upside down and appeared downstairs in the dining room his red sleeping suit!
Can you remember his first musical performance?
Marie: Yes! On the last day of play school the teacher held a concert. All the other children sang their little nursery rhymes but Mark stood up and sang 'Uptown Girl' by Billy Joel. We were so amazed but the music was there very, very early.
Did he show any other musical talents?
Oliver: Well, every morning you'd hear Mark walking down the road from school playing his little tin whistle. His music teacher taught him how and even now Mark might come up to you and play the tin whistle in your ear!
Does he sing in the bath?
Oliver: Oh yes. He locks the bathroom door and all you can hear is the singing. Sometimes you have to say, 'Come on Mark, there's someone else wanting to use the bath,' but he won't even hear. On occasions he even cleans the bath afterwards!
Marie: His brothers get a bit annoyed when they have to pick the bath towels up after him but they're very proud of Mark. (Barry and Colin both grin in unison to prove this fact!)
How do you feel when you see Mark on TV with Westlife?
Oliver: We tend to get very emotional and a bit worked up but we're getting used to it. Mark's really done us very proud.
Marie: We always get the call from Mark afterwards, 'Well, how did it go?' I'll say, 'You looked fine.' I always reassure him.
Has Mark changed?
Marie: Not at all. He's such a cool person I don't think his type of personality can change.
Oliver: He will always ring two or three times a day and he still likes to come out with his dad and the lads, Barry and Colin. We'll go see the horses or take a walk in the park just, as he says himself, 'To chill out'.
Marie: He still does his own ironing. I experienced that on his last break. He was getting ready to go out for the night and his black shirt wasn't ironed but he said, 'Give it to me, mum, I'll do that'. So he still partakes in a few household chores.
Mark tells us why his family is the best...!
"They've always been there for me right from the start and I love them to pieces. They're the nicest bunch of people in the world. My mum's such a bubbly person and she's always in a good mood. My dad is always going out of his way to help. They're both really good- natured people. My 'little' little brother Colin is a happy go-lucking fella who doesn't have a care in the world, except when it comes to football, and Barry reminds me so much of myself at his age cos I was really shy just like him."