Ronan Keating tearful in Boyzone documentary as he recalls Stephen Gately grief

By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Ronan Keating has tearfully recalled the grief among his Boyzone bandmates after Stephen Gately’s death, a trailer for a new documentary shows.

Boyzone: No Matter What sees the Irish group’s stars Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Michael ‘Mikey’ Graham, and former manger Louis Walsh, explore the height of their fame, the issues they dealt with as their success grew, and their break-up.

Gately died in 2009 at the age of 33 shortly after the band – known for the hits Words, All That I Need and No Matter What  – staged a comeback.

They continued as a four-piece and in 2018 they celebrated their 25th anniversary with their last tour and album, which featured a tribute to Gately, a reworking of a demo the singer recorded in 2002, which includes his vocals.

In the Sky Documentaries teaser, Duffy emotionally recalls how at first he could not understand the news, saying “no, no, no, not our Stephen”, while Keating is shown breaking down in tears.

Clips are also shown of the band starting off, including an interview with TV presenter Gay Byrne, where he jokes he has heard they do not sing, and Keating admitting they “weren’t perfect” or “polished”.

Graham says he “just wanted out, I wanted to get away from that toxic environment”, while Duffy says “there were things that happened that were cruel”, and Lynch claims Walsh “promised us the sun, the moon and the stars”.

Elsewhere, Walsh recalls forming the five-piece in 1993, saying: “I prefer ordinary people, they work harder and they do whatever you want at the start.”

He also says: “They believed their own publicity, they forgot I wrote it.”

Walsh talks about Gately saying he “was living the dream” while making references to him hiding his sexuality, until Duffy calls the press “absolutely scandalous” for what “they did to Stephen”.

In 1999, Gately came out as gay after discovering that “someone was trying to sell this story to newspapers”, a spokesperson said at the time.

The trailer also sees Walsh smiling, and saying: “He (Stephen) got the front page.”

Gately died of natural causes at the age of 33 on October 10 2009 at his holiday home in Majorca.

Boyzone: No Matter What is on February 2 on Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW.