22 February 2010

In a taxi with... Boyzone star Keith Duffy

20th February 2010

The singer on coming to terms with the loss of his bandmate Stephen Gately


Keith Duffy has just flown in from Dublin, where he lives, and nice cabbie Steve from Islington is taking us from Heathrow to BBC Television Centre for a guest slot on The Alan Titchmarsh Show. The reason he’s speaking to us, and then to Alan, is because his character Ciaran McCarthy has returned to the Coronation Street cobbles after a gap of nearly five years. ‘Is he going to be back to his good old womanising ways? Yeah, baby. He’s a bold boy!’

But Keith is well aware that, apart from the interest in Ciaran, people will want to ask him about Stephen Gately, his former band mate in Boyzone, who died last October.

‘It’s awkward. Ronan [Keating] had his album out in Australia over Christmas and the press kept asking him about Stephen. Then people said, “Does that guy not talk about anything else?” I don’t want to parade on Stephen’s misfortune. But I miss him, he’s my mate.’

Apart from anything else, he says, coming back to work in Manchester five days a week on Coronation Street has provided a welcome distraction. ‘The past few months have been horrendous. Corrie’s given me a focus, something to get my teeth into, different surroundings.’

You have to know a little bit about Boyzone to understand why Stephen’s death has been so devastating. Keith is 36 next month, but Boyzone came together when he was 18, and he was the second eldest of the group. All of them – Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham, Stephen Gately and Keith – were young men who grew up within a five-mile radius of each other on the Northside of Dublin. Then Louis Walsh decided to put together an ‘Irish Take That’.

‘We grew up in a pretty rough area of Dublin,’ Keith explains. ‘We went through a lot of life-changing experiences: Ro was very young when his mother passed away. That was tough for him and we were there to help him. So we were close.’

As Keith describes it, Boyzone found fame the hard way, slogging their way round Ireland, ‘travelling around with our pillows, in a van with no windows!’ He remembers their television debut, a disastrous slot on Ireland’s The Late Late Show that is now a YouTube classic: ‘Jedward look like the Rolling Stones compared to us!’

Westlife, the boy band Louis Walsh created next, had it simple, he says: ‘When it did come good for us we’d earned it. It was easy for them to start off – they went straight on to our stage with a sold-out audience.’

What he’s saying is that Boyzone are close because they’ve always had to struggle. ‘Anything we’ve achieved, we’ve achieved together – there’s a great bond between us.’ And that bond has grown stronger since Stephen died. ‘It’s made us realise how close we actually are.’

Keith has two children with his wife Lisa: Jordan, 14 (‘I was so young when he was born that we’ve kind of grown up together; we’re more like friends’), and Mia, ten next month.

Mia has autism so, Keith says, she has a different way of dealing with her emotions. She provided a welcome tonic when he returned from Majorca, where Stephen died, to arrange his friend’s funeral. ‘I walked into my kitchen and she said, “Hi Dad, Stephen died so now you guys are only four. You’ve got to finish the album because Stephen said you’re bringing a new album out in 2010 and you can’t let Stephen down.”

I said, “She’s right – we have to do this for Stephen.” The lads all agreed.’

So Boyzone will release the single ‘Gave It All Away’ on 1 March as a tribute to Stephen, followed by a new album a week later. Keith says that it would be nice if it sold well, but in the main he’s been thankful for the experience of recording the song and making the video, both of which feature Stephen. ‘It’s actually helped me deal with the grieving process much better than I was. I was struggling to move on for a while.’

But move on he has, to Coronation Street, and, he hopes, further fields. ‘I’m very ambitious but I’m the wrong side of 35. I’m enjoying my time in Corrie but, to be honest, what I’d really love to do is American TV. I’m on the best show in Britain at the moment, but American TV just has that special shine to it. I love The Wire. I’d love to be in something like that.’
Source: You Magazine

16 February 2010

Herald Article

12th February 2010

http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/mikeys-eurovision-plans-may-backfire-badly-on-him-warns-bandmate-keith-2060842.html

Boyzone star Keith Duffy fears his bandmate Mikey Graham's plans to represent Ireland at the Eurovision song contest could backfire -- and have a negative impact on his career.

The dad-of-two admits he is concerned that Mikey's participation in the contest could backfire, as his pal is currently riding a wave of success after ITV's Dancing On Ice.

"There is a risk factor to it, of course there is," Keith told the Herald. "Mikey's track record is very good and clean. I think that his own personal profile is now at the strongest and best it's ever been.

"His success on Dancing on Ice has been phenomenal and I'd hate to think that something like this could backfire on him and jeopardise all that.

Duffy meanwhile has had his own hands full, after making a return to popular ITV soap, Coronation Street in recent weeks. And he admitted that financial pressures were partly behind his decision to return to the hit show.

The 35-year-old revealed that investments he made at the height of his pop and acting fame had collapsed in the recession.

"I'm not putting a figure on it but I've had losses on property investments. I've just had to tighten my belt and go out and graft again," he said.

The Dubliner has reprised his role as barman Ciaran McCarthy and says he's been welcomed back to the cobblestone streets with open arms.

Keith went on to explain how he and fellow Boyzone stars, Ronan Keating and Shane Lynch were in the dark about the singer's decision to enter his song, Baby, Nothing's Wrong to be performed by himself, until just a few weeks ago.

"To go for the Eurovision is a brave move and naturally we'll be there backing him the whole way. Mikey keeps his cards close to his chest until he has everything firmed up so we didn't really know too much about it until a couple of weeks ago.

"When it was announced that his song was chosen as one of the finalists in the Eurosong contest he sent us all a text to let us know and we're really happy for him," he added.

The song was originally written by Mikey for his wife, Karen and saw the singer beat off stiff competition from hundreds of aspiring composers including his own bandmate, Ronan Keating to secure his place in the Eurosong final, set to take place on March 5.

The news is sure to have come as a blow to the band's frontman, Ronan, who also missed out on the chance to represent Denmark at the annual song contest this year.

Return to Coronation Street healed my pain, says Boyzone's Keith Duffy

7th February 2010

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-interviews/2010/02/07/return-to-coronation-street-healed-my-pain-says-boyzone-s-keith-duffy-86908-22025303/

KEITH DUFFY has dried his tears. It's four months since his Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately died and while he won't ever forget, he can look forward without his eyes misting over.

The singer and actor has returned to the public eye in Coronation Street as Irish charmer Ciaran McCarthy and he credits the soap with helping him deal with losing a best pal.

He said: "Stephen died on October 10, 2009. I've been back in Coronation Street since the end of November and those weeks in between were possibly the worst of my life. Having this gig gave me something else to focus on. It was a saving grace.

There are still days when I can't believe he's gone."

Keith, 35, had known Stephen since they joined Boyzone with coming Ronan Keating, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham and were managed by Louis Walsh. He died from heart failure aged just 33 while on holiday in Majorca with partner Andy Cowles.

In March, release new single I Gave It All Away, featuring Stephen's vocals, and Keith believes his late friend had a hand in picking what will be their tribute song.

He said: "This was one of his favourites. We weren't able to release it two and half years ago due to political reasons. It landed on our laps a week after he died which was bizarre but we all took it as a sign from him it should be released.

"He sings beautifully and the words to it are uncanny in relating to our situation at the moment."

Friendship is something Keith takes seriously and it played a major role in his return to Weatherfield as Peter Barlow's wayward ex-navy mate Ciaran, both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras.

It's been five years since he was last on the show when Shelley Unwin's mother Bev made a drunken pass at home but he has stayed in touch with many of his former colleagues.

He said: "Whenever Boyzone have played in Manchester I'd send an invite down to Corrie. A few people would come to the show and we'd have a drink after it. There was a lot of talk about Ciaran coming back and here I am."

Ciaran's return has meant teaming up once again with Chris Gascoyne, who plays Peter, an alcoholic who has fallen off the wagon again. The actor went out of his way to help Ciaran his first time round on the cobbles.

He said: "He's been a true warrior for me and I think it sh ows on screen. We are very comfortable with each other.

"Nobody's happy to see Ciaran back except Peter. He's known for liking a drink and being a ladies man and everyone thinks he's going to help Peter fall of the wagon again but it's the opposite. He tries to help him - not very successfully, I might add. Ciaran has a good heart, he's just a bit of a nutcase."

While Keith is enjoying his return as the roving ladies' man in Weatherfield, he has hopes of a meatier role in the future.

In his absence from the soap, Keith, who is married to Lisa, and has two children Jordan, 13, and Mia, nine, has worked hard at acting - on stage and on TV in Ireland. He's a better actor than w he n h e first started and is keen to show off the results.

He said: "Seven years ago I was coming out of a job I had been in since I was a kid. I was travelling round the world with four other guys and had a great sense of security. Going out on my own and doing a job like Coronation Street which is in so many people's living rooms four nights a week - especially my own family's - was daunting.

"This time round, there's no comparison. There's a massive difference in experience, ability and understanding of the trade. I thought I could give the job a better crack this time."

Keith's in Coronation Street for at least six months and, apart from being separated from his Dublin-based family, is relishing his return. Whether or not it turns into an extended run is out of his hands, as is the decision on whether he would accept any such offer.

He said: "The decision to come into Coronation Street wasn't a decision I took alone. I sat down with the lads and told them what I wanted to do and they gave me their blessing.

"We've lost a member of the band and I don't think we could go any further if the four of us weren't all in agreement.

"I love being in the band but I love being on Corrie. I need this. This is the individual, independent part of my life and we all need that.

"The downside is that my family are in Dublin. The kids miss their daddy but I get home at the weekend and make sure we spend quality time together. You just have to play with the hand you're dealt. And to be fair, my hand is a pretty good one."