The Westlife singer alleges a 2020 weight-loss operation was botched, triggering years of sepsis, hospitalisations and the eventual removal of his entire stomach.
Westlife singer Mark Feehily has brought a medical-negligence claim in England's High Court against bariatric surgeon Nick Carter, alleging that complications following a weight-loss operation at Spire Portsmouth Hospital in Hampshire in August 2020 caused recurrent sepsis, repeated hospital admissions and the eventual removal of his entire stomach. The claim, reported to be worth more than £200,000, was lodged in 2025, with Carter filing a defence earlier in 2026 that denies negligence and characterises the alleged leak as a recognised complication of the procedure rather than proof of substandard surgery.
Chennai Fans Set Off Fireworks Inside Theatre as Avengers: Endgame: Encore Returns to India
What Happened During the 2020 Operation
According to reports citing The Times and court documents, Feehily underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in August 2020, a procedure that reduces stomach size by removing a substantial portion of the organ and reshaping the remainder into a narrow sleeve. The operation is a widely used weight-loss treatment, but like other major abdominal surgeries it carries recognised risks including leakage, infection, bleeding and the potential need for further operations.
Feehily's case centres on the allegation that Carter did not remove enough of his stomach during the procedure. He alleges that tissue left behind subsequently became infected and developed a leak, which in turn triggered severe abdominal infections and recurrent episodes of sepsis, a life-threatening systemic reaction to infection. These allegations have not been tested or established at trial and should not be treated as findings of fact.
New Found Glory Guitarist Chad Gilbert Dies at 45:Months After Emergency Brain Surgery
From Emergency Admission to Total Gastrectomy
Feehily reportedly says his condition deteriorated within days of the operation, with severe pain leading to an emergency hospital admission where he developed sepsis and required urgent treatment. Court-reporting accounts state that he spent months in intensive care during the Covid-19 pandemic and underwent further emergency surgery at that time, with complications allegedly continuing over the following years and producing repeated hospital admissions and ongoing abdominal problems.
The reported culmination of this medical crisis came in May 2023, when Feehily underwent a total gastrectomy — the complete surgical removal of the stomach — after continuing complications and infections. Following such a procedure, food passes directly from the oesophagus into the small intestine, and patients typically require substantial dietary adjustment and long-term medical monitoring. The available reports do not detail the full extent of Feehily's ongoing treatment, nutritional support or current medical condition.
The Legal Battle: Claims, Defence and Procedural Stakes
Feehily's claim, lodged with the High Court in 2025, is being handled by Leigh Day Solicitors and is valued at more than £200,000. Reports indicate that this valuation carries procedural significance beyond the financial figure, allowing the case to proceed at a level where a larger damages award could ultimately be sought if the claim succeeds. No judgment, settlement or admission of liability has been reported in connection with the case.
Carter filed his defence earlier in 2026, denying negligence and asserting that the leak alleged by Feehily was a recognised complication of sleeve-gastrectomy surgery rather than evidence of improper technique. His legal representatives have said that, with litigation ongoing, further comment on the allegations would not be appropriate. The dispute therefore centres on causation and the applicable standard of care — specifically, whether the leak arose from negligent surgical technique or from a known risk that can materialise despite entirely appropriate treatment.
Notably, reports have not indicated that Spire Portsmouth Hospital has been named as a defendant in the action. The claim is directed against Carter personally, reflecting what is described as a personal contract between the surgeon and Feehily. That distinction leaves questions about hospital systems, nursing care and postoperative monitoring outside the scope of the reported claim, at least as currently framed.
Why Expert Evidence Will Be Decisive
Resolving the case is likely to require detailed scrutiny of the operation itself: how much stomach tissue was removed, the condition of the tissue left behind, the timing of Feehily's first symptoms, the clinical response once a leak was suspected, and the sequence of subsequent infections. Expert medical evidence will play a central role in determining whether Carter's conduct fell below the standard expected of a reasonably competent bariatric surgeon, and whether any such breach caused the sepsis episodes and the eventual gastrectomy.
The defence is expected to argue that the mere presence of a recognised surgical risk does not, on its own, establish negligence. Feehily's legal team will need to demonstrate that the complication stemmed specifically from a failure in Carter's duty of care and that this failure caused the injuries and financial losses being claimed. The case illustrates the broader legal complexity of delayed postoperative complications, where courts must separate the original surgical event from later clinical decisions, recurrent infections and follow-up operations.
Feehily's Public Health Disclosure and What Comes Next
Feehily, 46, a Sligo-born singer and member of Westlife, first made his medical struggles public in February 2024, when he issued a statement confirming he had been rushed to hospital in severe pain and admitted to intensive care with life-threatening sepsis days after his original surgery. He had cited health issues when he stepped back from touring with Westlife in 2024, providing context that predates the formal legal filing but does not itself determine liability in the current case.
The High Court proceedings are expected to continue through pleadings, disclosure of medical records and expert evidence before any trial judgment is reached. No court ruling on liability, trial date, damages award or settlement has been reported. Until the court rules or the parties reach a resolution, Feehily's allegations remain unproven claims, and Carter retains the presumption that liability has not been established. The case underscores that sleeve gastrectomy remains a widely used and generally accepted weight-loss procedure, with the dispute confined to whether this specific operation and its aftermath amounted to negligence.
