'Stephen Gately always with me', says Keith Duffy as he looks to Boyzone future

14 January 2024 , 17:18

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Last year Keith and Shane took part in the Mount Kenya Challenge

More than 14 years have passed since Stephen Gately’s sudden death at the age of just 33.

But when two of his former Boyzone bandmates completed the challenge of a lifetime – a gruelling hike and cycle across the African plains – their first thought was for their absent friend. Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch were taking part in the Mount Kenya Challenge when the anniversary of Stephen’s death came around last October.

“Stephen is always with me and it’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since we lost him,” Keith admits. “That evening, when Shane and I reached the base camp, we raised a glass to him.”

Stephen died at his Mallorca home on October 10, 2009, victim of an undiagnosed heart condition. Keith now performs with Boyzlife, alongside Brian McFadden from fellow Irish boy band Westlife, and always finds room for Stephen in their hugely popular shows.

He says: “We always dedicate a song to Stephen when we perform, and it’s always No Matter What – because nobody has ever done that song justice since Stephen. Brian and I started about six or seven years ago, and the success of the band is out of this world. There’s even talk of a TV show, similar to TFI Friday, where we perform with other artists and interview them.”

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Keith said it's likely he will need knee surgery in future

Despite performing around the world – and despite his exertions on Mount Kenya – Keith’s body is beginning to feel its 49 years. He says: “I have historical knee problems – it probably comes from all the kneeling during the dance routines in Boyzone. If I’d have been in Westlife, I’d have been OK, as all they did was sit on stools!”

His knee recently popped out while playing padel tennis, but the show had to go on. He says: “I was flying out to Dubai that evening with Brian for a Boyzlife concert and was determined the show had to go on.

“But during the flight, the air pressure made things so much worse and I was in agony. I was taken straight to the hospital from the airport, where a lot of the nurses are from the Philippines. Boyzone were massive there, so when word got out, everyone started taking photos of me – it was crazy.”

Lisa and Keith Duffy with their daughter Mia and son Jay (Kyran O'Brien)

He will probably need keyhole surgery on his knee in the future, but for now, life is just manic with the success of Boyzlife. But life at home hasn’t been without its struggles.

His daughter, Mia, was diagnosed with autism when she was just 18 months old in 2001. Dubliner Keith and his wife Lisa, who married in 1998, noticed she had some unusual traits, such as putting one arm out and shaking vigorously and lining all her toys up on the floor.

Now, 23, Mia has graduated from college and is working for an American pharmaceutical company. “I couldn’t be prouder of her,” Keith beams. “She’s just amazed us all. We could get the right interventions and education in place for her incredibly quickly, which I know a lot of people don’t have.”

When Mia was diagnosed, Keith says he told Lisa they could either fight for just Mia or for all children with autism and their parents. “I knew I could use my fame to do the latter,” he says. “Early detection is essential, yet the services in Ireland at the time were so limited.”

Boyzone members Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy, Ronan Keating Stephen Gately and Shane Lynch (Getty Images)

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He started a charity, Irish Autism Action and successfully lobbied the Irish government to open a school for children with autism. Many years later, Keith started the Keith Duffy Foundation, which supports a number of charities. Recently, he presented a National Lottery Award to Julia McKeever, from Portadown, Northern Ireland, who set up The Autism Hive, which has been supported by National Lottery funding, after her son Luke O’Hara took his own life.

“It’s the most devastating thing a parent can go through,” Keith says. “It’s why it’s so important we keep raising awareness.”

Keith also has a son Jay, 27, an actor who has starred in Derry Girls and Hollyoaks. His proud dad said: “He’s not interested in the fame side of things, just his craft.”

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Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy (No credit)

Coronation Street viewers will know Keith as charmer Ciaran McCarthy, who trod the cobbles between 2002 and 2011. “I loved Corrie and if I was ever going to do a soap again, it would only ever be Corrie, it’s the best,” says Keith.

For now, he is concentrating on Boyzlife. He believes the success of the band is down to nostalgia for the way music used to be. “In the 90s, bands had a platform,” Keith said. “You had chart battles. You’d go into HMV and buy an album. Now, people just download the songs they want. It’s killing the industry. Unless you’re Adele or Ed Sheeran, it’s so hard to break in.”

But what about a Boyzone reunion? “It’s never off the cards,” Keith teases.”

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Clare Berrett