Ronan Keating says Louis Walsh has bitterness 'festering in his soul'

13 March 2024 , 10:03

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Ronan Keating says Louis Walsh has bitterness 'festering in his soul'

Celebrity Big Brother star Louis Walsh has launched a fresh attack on Boyzone singer Ronan Keating - but the pair have been in a feud for several years now.

Ronan, 47, was just sixteen when he first met music mogul Louis, 71, in the hopes of becoming Ireland's next big popstar. Louis was desperate to form an Irish version of Take That back in 1993 - and Ronan was one of the first hopefuls who responded to an advertisement in a newspaper about auditioning for the part.

After landing a spot in the boyband - which went on to become one of the most successful boybands of all time - alongside Keith Duffy, Stephen Gately, Shane Lynch, and Mikie Graham - Ronan and the boys had Louis to thank for their newfound global fame. However, over the years, relations between the singers and their manager became incredibly sour.

Ronan said that Louis' bitterness is festering in his soul (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

In recent years, Louis hasn't held back in slamming Ronan and his former bandmates - and his latest tirade is one of his worst yet. In scenes that aired on Tuesday's instalment of Celebrity Big Brother, viewers watched as the Housemates were treated to a VIP pop party where they were given treats, drinks, and the chance to dance to some classic pop songs. But when the song Life Is A Rollercoaster song by Ronan played in the house, Louis took a brutal swipe at the singer.

Louis commented: “Great song.” But then he took an unexpected swipe at Ronan. He grumbled: “He was such a p***k.” And he didn’t back down. Speaking to 71-year-old Sharon Osbourne, he went on: “Everybody thinks he’s a lovely guy, do you know what I mean?” He then claimed Ronan has failed to enjoy chart success without him. He raged: “He hasn’t had a hit record since I left. He sacked me.”

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Ronan previously opened up about his rift with former manager Louis as he branded the music mogul as 'bitter'. While on Magic FM’s Magic in the Morning Breakfast Show, Ronan explained: "He was very important to me as a mentor and I'm grateful for the opportunities he gave me, because I wouldn't be here without them. But there’s only so much you can give back and be so grateful, and for that not to be appreciated or respected."

Louis created Boyzone back in the 90s (Getty Images)

Ronan has been feuding with Louis for years (Getty Images)

Taking the moral high ground, Ronan told Louis to move on with his life and get over their beef. "Really he should just move on and be happy and grateful for what he's achieved – he's had a great career," said Ronan. "It's no life to be bitter and talking negatively about people – it festers in your soul."

However, Ronan was not the only one to come out against Louis in public - with other Boyzone members having similar opinions. In September 2018, Ronan and Shane Lynch appeared on the Dan Wootton Interview podcast, where they explained they no longer had a relationship with Louis.

"One day Louis is your best friend and the next he doesn't know you. You never know what version of Louis you're going to get," confessed Ronan. Backing up his pal's claim, Shane added: "You can meet him for lunch one day and have four hours of gossip and great fun and the next day he's in the papers slagging you off."

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One of the biggest insults came in 2019, when Louis was asked how he felt about Shane Lynch catching a bug in Thailand during the group's farewell tour. He told The Examiner: "'I heard that ya. He was probably listening to Ronan. I'd get sick if I had to listen to him as well."

Then in March 2020, Ronan once again claimed Louis was 'bitter' but insisted that the band would not have got their big break without him as he credited the opinionated music mogul for his success. "Someone like Louis, he's been so successful and made so much money, he should be embracing everything about music that comes out of this country, he told The Belfast Telegraph at the time.

"Boyzone happened because of Louis Walsh, he was fundamentally the reason we got our start," Ronan said.

Susan Knox