Fatherhood has made Blue “grow up”…or so the boys claim.

The British boyband are preparing to represent Britain at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest and insist that they are different to who they were when they were last in the spotlight together because of their children.

Antony Costa, who has a seven-year-old daughter, Emilie Olivia, said: “[Having children] has made us grow up.”

Not that you’d know, if you’d seen the pictures of him peeing on a cash machine recently.

Duncan James, father to Tianie-Finn, six, added: “It’s such a big influence in your life, having a child. Your outlook changes. Simon [Webbe]’s daughter knows what’s going on, but the rest of them don’t know who Blue is.”

Simon, who has his daughter Alanah, 13, from a past relationship with Nicola Jones, recently split up with his long-term girlfriend Layla Manoochehri and says he finds having a love-life hard because the band have to dedicate their lives to their careers.

He explained to Star magazine: “We’re married to the job. I’ve always been married to it. But having someone to share that with would be nice.”

However, he agreed with his band mates that being a father has shaped him more than anything else.

He added: “My focus is my child.”

Blue – whose fourth member is Lee Ryan, who has a two-year-old son Ryan – will be performing ‘I Can’ in the Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf on May 14.