kids

Ronan Keating's daughter works in a Sydney cafe. He said his kids have "got to work".

Ronan Keating is an Irish singing icon. In the early 90s, he rose to fame with the Irish boy band Boyzone. But it wasn't until 1999 that his celebrity status rocketed to the next level.

He gained worldwide attention when his single 'When You Say Nothing at All' was featured in the film Notting Hill, reaching number one on the charts in several countries.

And of course with fame comes interest - especially when it comes to a star's home life. 

So when news broke that Keating had cheated on his first wife with a back-up dancer, the tabloids went wild. Years down the track, Keating has lifted the lid on it, making some rather choice comments on the relationship, and his challenges with co-parenting.

Ronan Keating married Yvonne Connolly - an Irish model and media figure - in 1998. The couple went on to have three children together - Jack, 23, Missy, 21, and Ali, 17.

While Keating's career was taking off, Connolly's career was put on the backseat. Reflecting on that, Connolly said she lost herself during this time in her marriage.

Ronan Keating and Yvonne Connolly. Image: Getty.
 
"I made the decision not to work, to step away from the limelight when I had my first child. I turned down a lot of work during those years," she told Image Magazine.

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"In hindsight, I feel I lost my identity as a woman, as an individual. I was very happy to take my husband's name. We all think when we marry that it will last forever. I do wish that I'd kept working though, that I'd had more confidence in myself, as a mother and as a woman."

By 2010, things weren't great in their relationship.

Connolly sensed that her husband was keeping something from her. She later came across his phone bills, and when she saw a number listed frequently that she didn't recognise, she decided to call it to find out more. The person who answered was Boyzone back-up dancer Francine Cornell.

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Cornell had been in involved in a secret, seven-month affair with Keating. 

"She knew something was going on and she got hold of his phone records and called my number," Cornell previously told The Sun

"From my voicemail, she got my name - that's how she found out. Ronan tried to deny it all at first. He said I was a dancer from the tour and we were just good friends."

Connolly then decided to get in touch with Cornell to uncover the full story, with the pair meeting up for a "quick 20-minute conversation".

"It was very hard to figure out who you can trust. And in fairness to her, she came and met me. But the 20-minute conversation turned into a couple of bottles of wine," Connolly explained on Brendan O'Connor's Cutting Edge.

Image: Getty. "After a few hours, I realised she needed it as much as I did and I know it sounds very dramatic, but she was as much as a victim as I was. I think we both got something from it. It was basically two girls in love with the same boy who over a five-hour conversation realised that that boy was not who we thought he was."

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Two years later, the couple confirmed their separation.

Reflecting on the affair in 2016 during an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Keating said: "Nobody should have an affair. If you're man enough to have the balls to go home and say, 'Sorry, this isn't working anymore,' that's the ideal situation, isn't it? But we're weak. We don't do that. So yes, I hurt people and I am sorry for that hurt. I'm saying sorry."

If you assumed that statement meant Keating was apologising for the affair, you're wrong. Soon after the interview was released, he shared a post to his Facebook page to clarify how he felt.

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"There is a lot more to it than an affair and obviously it was broken well before then," he wrote, as reported by the Mirror UK

Watch Ronan Keating's performance on The Voice. Post continues below.


Video via 7Plus.

"Over the years, I have kept my mouth shut and taken all the blame for the sake of my kids and my ex-wife. But enough now. After six years, I draw the line," he continued.

"There are always two people in a relationship and if it's not working, there's more than one good reason for it. Please respect that everyone has moved on. Not once did I say I was apologising to my ex-wife or saying sorry for the affair. I said I was sorry for all the hurt it had caused, to which I truly am."

In 2015, their divorce was finalised. Just in time for Keating's second marriage. 

Keating and Storm Uechtritz (now Keating) met and fell in love on the set of the Australian version of The X Factor, where Storm worked as a TV producer. 

They exchanged their vows in front of 170 family members and friends at an outdoor ceremony overlooking the Scottish coast in 2015, with Keatings' three kids also in attendance.

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In 2017, they welcomed son Cooper, and by 2020, they had daughter Coco. In 2021, Keating said he had decided to get a vasectomy, so no other kids are on the agenda. 

Speaking about co-parenting his three eldest kids with his ex-wife, Keating said it has been a struggle over the years.

"It wouldn't be easy all the time, but you try for the children always to just remain calm and get through it," he told The Irish Sun in 2018. 

"You've got to always remain in an adult state of mind so that you can deal with it. There are times when I get very angry, very frustrated, and you really have to bottle that. You've got to protect the children always."

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As for Keating's eldest three kids, here's what they're up to.

Jack, 23, was on Love Island UK earlier this year, which caused plenty of media interest. He came onto the show on day 26, and didn't end up finding love, being dumped from the villa on day 31. Outside of the show, Jack works as a social media manager. 

Keating's youngest child with his ex-wife, 17-year-old Ali, is still in school.

Celebrating Ali's birthday recently, Keating wrote on Instagram: "Happy birthday sweetheart 17 years gone by in a flash. You are a beautiful strong, brave adventurous spirit. We all love you so much. Have a great day. You can get that drivers license now!"

While Jack lives with Keating and Storm in London, Ali lives in Ireland with her mum Yvonne.

Jack opened up about what it's like to have four siblings - Missy, Ali and two half siblings Cooper and Coco - saying despite the age gap, they are very tight knit.

"I have always felt that way. I am the older brother and I have carried that on my shoulders," he said to RSVP Magazine. "I want to be the one they can all look up to and I want them to be able to tell me anything. I will be there for them always and I will be the best big brother that I can. I will always be a shoulder for them to cry on."

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As for 21-year-old Missy, she's recently made the move to Australia.

Keating said his daughter Missy is now working at a local cafe in Coogee in Sydney's eastern suburbs. 

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She relocated to Australia to pursue an acting career, as well as being an aspiring model. 

In the lead-up to the move, Missy wrote on Instagram: "An emotional last trip to Dublin. Two weeks until I head to the land of Aus. Goodbyes are never easy but so excited for a new chapter."

Confirming his daughter's big move, Keating said on the Kyle and Jackie O Show that he is missing his daughter very much. Keating also explained to Kyle Sandilands why he wants Missy to work at a cafe and not completely rely on her family's wealth.

"We keep it real in the Keating household. People don't go straight into stardom, they've got to work," Ronan said.

"Missy wouldn't want that [not working] either. She wants to work, and she's a grafter. We're so proud of her, Storm and I are so proud of her. She's gone off her own back for a year in Australia and she's working hard. She's straight in there, and you know she's got lots of different things going on but she wants to earn a few quid and find her feet. It's all good. We back her big time."

This article was originally published on July 8, 2022, and was updated on November 23, 2022.

Feature Image: Instagram/Getty.

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