Ronan Keating on boyband fame in the 90s: ‘Our duty of care meant nothing’

Published

2 months ago

January 28, 2025

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Ronan Keating says the members of Boyzone were “unprotected” and in “a dangerous space” when they were propelled to fame over 30 years ago.

Speaking at the worldwide premiere of Boyzone: No Matter What, the 47-year-old singer told Sky News: “We just played along with it all. I was 16, 17, 18 years of age. I was a child.”

Now a father of five, Keating goes on: “But as you get older and your children get older… you realise what we went through as kids and how unprotected we were and what a dangerous space it was.”

In 1993, five working-class lads from Dublin, Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham were plucked from obscurity by talent manager Louis Walsh and moulded into stars.

Breaking into the UK charts the following year, they had conquered the world by the mid-1990s.

Six number one hits and five number one albums followed, with 25 million records sold across the world.

A master of promotion, former X Factor judge Walsh worked hard to keep the boys’ names in the papers, but that exposure came at a cost.

In October, the death of ex-One Direction star Liam Payne after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires had drew a sharp focus on the duty of care offered to those thrust into the spotlight at a young age.

But Keating says back then it was different: “Our duty of care would not have been anything. It would never have been taken into account.”

Despite that, he says the band owe Walsh a lot: “We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for what Louis did for Boyzone, what he put on the line for us.

“He has apologised and said sorry for the words that he said, the things he’s done. Somewhat. It’s tough, it’s hard, and at times my relationship with Louis – well, it’s non-existent. But I am very grateful for the opportunity he gave Boyzone and me in the beginning.”

Shane Lynch too, is forgiving when it comes to past tabloid press intrusion into his private life.

Lynch, 48, tells Sky News: “A story’s a story. A paper’s a paper. People like to hear bad stuff about you. That’s what gets them going, makes their own life feel better.

“Sometimes we were subjected to that little bit more than others. But that said, as Louis Walsh says, ‘You made the front paper!'”

So why now – three decades after they first met, and following two splits – have the band felt the need to tell their story?

Keating says: “I think with any story you need a start, a middle and an end. And I think we’ve after 30 years, we’ve finally got that.”

Of course, one key element of Boyzone is missing, with the death of Stephen Gately back in 2009 (a result of an undiagnosed heart condition) meaning the five will never again take to the stage.

Despite his loss, the remaining members see the three-part documentary as a form of tribute to their lost member, describing it as a way to celebrate and work with him again.

In tribute, Keith Duffy, 50, dressed for the event with Gately very much in mind, telling Sky News: “This shirt is for Steo. He loved a bit of print. He loved a bit of sequins. I found the perfect shirt and red was his favourite colour. I am representing Stephen tonight.”

Mikey Graham, who contributed to the documentary, did not attend the red carpet.

Sky News has contacted Louis Walsh for comment.

Boyzone: No Matter What is available on Sky and streaming service Now from Sunday 2 February.

Entertainment

Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

Published

2 hours ago

April 4, 2025

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Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.

The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to four women.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.

Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.

He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.

The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.

The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.

He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

Entertainment

Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to ‘dear friend’ Val Kilmer

Published

1 day ago

April 3, 2025

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to 'dear friend' Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.

Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.

Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.

His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.

Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.

Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.

He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.

Entertainment

Bruce Springsteen: The Boss to release seven ‘lost’ albums

Published

1 day ago

April 3, 2025

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Bruce Springsteen: The Boss to release seven 'lost' albums

Bruce Springsteen is to release seven albums of mostly unheard material this summer.

The US singer said the songs, written and re-recorded between 1983 and 2018, were being made public after he began completing “everything I had in my vault” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a short video posted on Instagram, Springsteen said the albums were “records that were full records, some of them even to the point of being mixed and not released”.

The 83-song collection is being released in a box set called Tracks II: The Lost Albums and goes on sale on 27 June.

Some 74 of the tracks have never been heard before.

Springsteen first teased the release on Wednesday morning with a short social media video accompanied by text which said: “What was lost has been found”.

Tracks II is the follow-up to the star’s first Tracks volume, a four-CD collection of 66 unreleased songs, released in 1998.

The New Jersey-born rocker, nicknamed The Boss, last released a studio album in 2022.

Only the Strong Survive was a collection of covers, including songs by Motown and soul artists, such as the Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Frankie Wilson and Jimmy Ruffin.

The late soul legend Sam Moore, who died in January and was a frequent Springsteen collaborator, sang on two of the tracks.

Springsteen is coming to the UK in May to launch a two-month tour of Europe with his E Street Band.

The shows will include performances at the Co-op Live in Manchester and Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.

The singer-songwriter has sold more than 140 million records since his debut on the music scene in 1973, according to his website.