Ronan's rollercoaster life keeps on going
Living Down Under, marriage problems and children, Ronan Keating talks to The Ticket's Andy ?Richardson.
If ever a man had good reason to bemoan his commute to work, it's Ronan Keating.
The man made famous by Irish hunks, Boyzone, has made regular trips Down Under as part of his job judging Australian X Factor.
He's back in the UK presently to headline Birmingham's LG Arena tonight (Friday January 25), with support from special guest Brian McFadden.
Ronan plans to serenade fans with tracks from his ninth studio album, 'Fires', which has seen him team up with some of the industry's most acclaimed producers.
The singer is celebrating his 20th year in the music industry, having achieved a number of remarkable successes, including a duet with Elton John at Madison Square Garden, singing for the Pope, hosting everything from Miss World, Eurovision Song Contest and MTV Europe Awards and acting as a judge on X Factor in Australia (where, in the first year, his mentored act, Atilyan Childs, won).
He has also recorded with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), written an autobiography and guided Westlife to stardom.
Ronan's trophy cabinet has also been graced with a prestigious BMI European Song Writing Award and Ivor Novello Award, and he's even been appointed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.
In more recent times, Ronan has been adjusting to single life, following the collapse of his marriage to Yvonne: "I know people have said we look very close together and you don't know about the future. I seriously don't know.
"We're doing the best we can do right now, that's what couples do when you get into a situation like this when you have kids.
"It's different, really different. I'm not looking forward to this new stage in my life – it's just the way it is.
"It's not like, that's done and now I do something different.
"It's what happens. It's what I'm going through right now.
"I'm finding my feet again, I am. It's different. It's really weird because it's brand new for me.
"We've had 14 great years together and I was only very, very young when we started a life together.
"So finding my feet again is very, very strange. But 100 per cent there is going to be a friendship there with Yvonne going forward. We're still great friends and our kids are our priority.
"They're priority number one and it's all about making sure they're OK."
And what about that commute: "Jetting back between here and Australia – it's not that it's tough.
"The flights are long, that's the pain, that really long flight. But the kids love it down there, I love it down there – it's great. It's a great country with great people.
"I love being there and it's a great thing to do. I really enjoy the show and being part of it. It is what it is."
