Danny O’Donoghue reveals real reason why The Script decided not to split after band member’s tragic death

THE SCRIPT’s Danny O’Donoghue questions the band’s decision to stay together following the death of guitarist Mark Sheehan.

The band, which also includes drummer Glen Power, will release Satellites on Friday, its first album without guitarist Mark, who died last year.

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When asked if there had been any conversation about ending the band, Danny said: “We’ve talked about it for a long time and to be honest it’s still an open question.

“Glen and I sat down and had a good discussion about it and we said, ‘Well, I feel like he would want us to finish what we started.’

“Selfishly, I think I could easily walk off into the sunset. I think Glen could do the same thing right now.

“We have accomplished everything we were meant to do in our lives, musically, professionally and financially.

“I think the question is: why do we do this? And the answer is: because we love music.”

But he also revealed that Mark’s family, including his wife Rina and three children, will continue to enjoy the band, which is another driving force for them to stay together.

Danny added on the Smallzy’s Surgery podcast: “I still think if we stopped today, I’d be fine, personally.

“But I still feel like financially, Mark is still part of the group.

“His family benefits from everything we do moving forward and I think it’s the right thing to do.”

JADE “RESTRAINED” ON MIX MUSIC

JADE THIRLWALL felt held back in Little Mix because she never got to write the songs she wanted to sing.

The Angel Of My Dreams singer said of being a solo artist: “It’s really liberating. It’s probably one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about doing my own thing – it’s all I want to do. It’s great.”

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“In a band you have more generic concepts because it can’t just be about what you want to write about.

“So it was important to me, especially with the first record, to give people a glimpse of my story and my musical journey from the beginning to today.

“When you’re alone, you can go a little further and be a little more cheeky. I can say whatever I want.”

But Jade added on Australian radio: “You really appreciate, once you’re doing your own thing, how nice it is to be in a group and have people around you to bounce off of.

“Every decision is a common decision, whether good or bad.

“If something doesn’t work, we can say, ‘Well, it’s all our fault.'”

CELINE’S CORE FEELING

CELINE DION wants Donald Trump to know he made a titanic mistake by upsetting her.

The I’m Alive singer has publicly lashed out at the former US president after he used her mega-hit song My Heart Will Go On from the hit film at a rally in Montana over the weekend.

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Without wasting any time, Celine Dion posted on her Instagram account last night: “This use is in no way authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.”

Mocking the fact that Trump used a song that was the soundtrack to the sinking of the cruise ship, the message was signed: “. . . and really, THIS song?”

This is not the first time that artists have distanced themselves from the Republican presidential candidate.

Earlier this year, Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr asked the former Apprentice boss to stop playing the band’s songs after Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want was used at one of his rallies.
Looks like someone is about to get fired…

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CHASE & STATUS’ collaboration with Stormzy is set to debut at number one this week.

Backbone currently leads the way ahead of Good Luck Babe, which ranked No. 3 last week, by current singer Chappell Roan.

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Meanwhile, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish’s chart-topper Guess has slipped to No. 3.

Former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall is also looking to re-enter the Top 10 with her brilliant debut track Angel Of My Dreams climbing ten places to No.8.

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HELEN FLANAGAN made sure to spice things up as she celebrated her birthday.

The actress went braless in a statement pink dress and bejeweled heels as she partied at Mnky Hse in Manchester over the weekend.

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Helen, who is taking part in the upcoming series of Celebs Go Dating, says she has almost given up on finding her ‘right man’.

She said on Charlotte Dawson’s Naughty Corner podcast: “There are some horrible men out there.

“I had a celebrity dating app on my phone and my daughter Matilda would sit next to me and want to look at all these boys.

“I would have let him take a look. I don’t have it anymore. I had a few dates there, but no. It was hilarious at first.”

Believe me, Helen, I can understand when it comes to horrible men.

But keep the faith and you will find the right person.

CHRISTMAS: THE BACKGROUND IS FINISHED

NOEL GALLAGHER says there are no No.1 bands in the charts right now because they are “crap now”.

The 57-year-old believes guitar music is dying out because there simply aren’t any bands who can match what he did with Oasis – and they don’t have enough good songs.

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Noel doesn’t accept that guitar music has gone out of fashion and is the reason for the lack of indie and rock in the singles and albums charts.

He said on the Matt Morgan podcast: “That’s the big debate now. Have you seen that thing – the 80s bands who spent weeks at number one?

“It was 146 weeks. In the ’90s, it was 141. In this decade, which we’re about halfway through, the number one spot was held by a band for three weeks. One of them was the Beatles, when they released their new song.

“One of them was Little Mix, who don’t count, and the other was Radio 2 All Stars, a charity single. “You’re not telling me the biggest band of the last five years are out there, unknown, and nobody knows anything about them.

“Bands are dead because they’re dead. I just think there aren’t a lot of great songwriters who are in bands.”

Noel doesn’t accept that there is a new indie band out there with amazing songs just waiting to be discovered, because if they were good enough, someone would know about them.

He added: “I would have a hard time accepting that the gift that I had, I would just go work in a fucking garage and be unknown or not follow a certain path – ‘Oh, my uncle Noel died, he was 83, he was a great songwriter’.

“It’s inconceivable. Good always ends up happening, always. That’s how it is.”

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The bromance between HARRY STYLES and James Corden is going strong.

The As It Was singer snuck into the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo this weekend for James’ final performance in stage show The Constituent.

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Before and after the performance, Harry was spotted backstage hanging out with the Gavin and Stacey legend before being pictured helping James carry some of his belongings to the back of the venue.

What a great guy.

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LIAM PAYNE enjoys a date night with his TikToker girlfriend Kate Cassidy as they step out in Santa Monica.

The Strip That Down singer kept things simple in an all-black outfit and white sneakers while Kate opted for a double denim cutoff look.

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Liam is currently enjoying an extended break in America after battling health issues over the past 12 months.

In February, the former One Direction star released comeback track Teardrops.

But he has since put music on hold to focus on his health.

I’m told he’s now set to return to the charts once again and fans should expect to hear new material before the end of the year.