Donnie Wahlberg endured a "really difficult year" as he juggled work on his TV show with his New Kids On The Block residency

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I thought I was used to it, but this year was really difficult - far more challenging than any time during my decade and a half doing Blue Bloods while managing my part in New Kids.

"With Blue Bloods, I could walk on set, do my part then focus on New Kids in my dressing room, but now I've added so many hats to my hat collection. I already had a lot and was stretching them pretty thin!"

He added as an example: "There was one day it was a 6 a.m. Boston Blue fitting, 10 a.m. New Kids wardrobe fitting, 12 p.m. show run-through, 4 p.m., do it again. In between, I'd watch actor auditions and give notes on the script. I haven't come up for air yet."

However, Donnie's schedule is unlikely to slow down anytime soon as he's now considering a world tour with the band.

He told the publication: "There's a want for New Kids to go around the world and the hope was after Vegas, that will be what we look at next, and Boston Blue's not changing that."

It comes after Donnie previously admitted he wants to slow down and spend more time with his siblings.

He has five brothers - including Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg - and two sisters but he admits they they don't see each other every often because he lives so far away and he's now promised he will try harder to get on a plane and go back to his home town of Boston to reconnect with his family.

Donnie - who has a home in St Charles, Illinois with his wife Jenny McCarthy - told Variety: "It's not that I'm not committed to my family, but I live in a different state than my siblings.

"I think when you come from a big family, you can stay close, but my career has taken me all over the world, and it still does.

"My sister always calls and says, 'Come on, Mom's gone now, let's all fly to Boston and do Thanksgiving.' A lot of times I'm like, 'It's a long flight. I've been flying back and forth, filming and going on tour. I just want to sit at home and put on the fireplace and be with my wife and my dogs'."

He went on to add he will try harder and encourage his younger brother Mark - who lives in Las Vegas - to return to Boston too.

Donnie said: "Maybe I need to hop on a plane and do a little bit more of those occasions with the siblings and encourage Mark to get on a plane and do the same."