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Ronan Keating "Dumbfounded" By Stephen Newspaper Story

PopSugarUK — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:01:50 -0800

Ronan Keating has been focusing on work lately, following his Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately's tragic death. Ronan performed in Australia this weekend, while here in the UK The Observer published an interview with him where he gave some insight into how he's been feeling since Stephen passed, as well as commenting on the Jan Moir scribed newspaper article that caused much controversy. Here are some extracts from his interview:

On his bad days: "Horrible, you can't breathe, you feel like your chest is collapsing, the walls are coming in on top of you. Anxiety I think is what they call it... I haven't been sleeping at all lately. It's been horrible. We've all been feeling the same way since Stephen passed. Mentally I'm absolutely exhausted."
On grief counselling: "I've never before thought about going to get help with counsellors. For the first time ever I think I should. When I lost my mum it was the hardest thing at the time I'd ever known in my life but because she was sick for two years and we were told three months before she died that she had three months [left], subconsciously you build a wall, your defence mechanism goes up and you prepare yourself for that. Whereas with Steo, there was nothing, just this wall of devastation, shock. I don't think it has hit any of us properly. There's times when you feel like you can't breathe, you know, when you're panicking and I'm not like that. I've always been on a level."
On finding out about Stephen's death: "I bawled my eyes out. Screamed down the phone: 'What are you saying?' I couldn't take it in. When the guy on the phone said 'Stephen passed away' I said 'Stephen who?' because I thought he was talking about someone else. I just didn't think it would be Steo. I'll never f*cking forget it. I ran out of the restaurant, my sister ran after me with my coat [saying] 'What's wrong, what's wrong?' I told her. And then I had to call the three guys. Bloody hell, what a call. Horrendous. The most horrendous hour of my life. Horrific."

To read what Ronan had to say about Jan Moir's controversial opinion piece, just read more.

On the Daily Mail newspaper article by Jan Moir: "None of us read the article because we were told 'You wouldn't want to read it' so we purposely didn't, we ignored it. But obviously it was unavoidable to hear what comments were being made, and I think it's disgusting. It was just wrong; one, for her to write it, and two, for the paper to print it. It shouldn't have been allowed. It was wrong. It looked to me like someone trying to make a name for themselves out of a terrible situation, a devastating situation. And what was worse was the apology – the alleged apology, that was written a week later, was her defending herself! It's just disgraceful. Again, for her to do it and for the paper to allow it. I'm dumbfounded. It's bizarre.... But anyway, again, I wouldn't dwell on it. I wouldn't want to give her any publicity for that. He was a human being. A human being with feelings; a husband, a family that have feelings. At what point do people cross that line? Incredible... incredibly insensitive."

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Ronan, Keith, Shane & Mikey Speak About Stephen in Majorca

PopSugarUK — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:55:17 -0700

Following Stephen Gately's tragic death last weekend, Ronan Keating made a statement to the press today on behalf of Boyzone, as they prepared to accompany Stephen's coffin back to Ireland. With Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch at his side, Ronan spoke of how Stephen and his partner loved Majorca and how the four of them were going to accompany Stephen on his "final journey back to Dublin". Here's their statement in full.

X Factor States Louis Will Miss Shows for Stephen's Funeral

PopSugarUK — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:54:43 -0700

As expected, Louis Walsh will not appear on The X Factor this weekend, as he'll be attending the funeral of Boyzone's Stephen Gately which takes place on Saturday. The show released this statement:

"Due to recent tragic events, Louis Walsh will not be appearing on either the Saturday or Sunday live The X Factor shows this weekend as he is attending Stephen Gately's funeral. Louis has been in close contact with his acts throughout the week, although his opinions will not be represented in the show this weekend."

Louis has been paying tribute to Stephen this week and has spoken about the upcoming funeral, saying:

"In Ireland we've a tradition of funerals where we can be sad and happy. We'll give him the best send-off ever. The boys [will] go to Majorca and bring him to Dublin. They'll stay with him all night. His mother said he would not want to be alone. I think the boys are going to be in charge of everything. They're his best friends."

Our thoughts continue to be with Stephen's family, friends and fans at this time.

Tributes to Stephen Gately as Post-Mortem Planned

PopSugarUK — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:53:51 -0700

Famous friends have been paying tribute to Stephen Gately, who died at the weekend while on holiday in Majorca. Westlife have written about their shock on their website: "He was a friendly, positive spirit and a passionate performer". Stephen Fry tweeted: "He was loveable and sweet natured and will be hugely missed". Elton John said: "David and I are stunned by this tragedy. Stephen was the kindest, gentlest soul."

A post-mortem is expected to begin tomorrow, while a spokesman for Stephen's family said:

"There's no foul play involved and it's not suicide. It's just a tragic accident is what we've been told and we're happy that that is correct information. There is nothing untoward, it's not drugs, we don't believe, it's not suicide, it's not murder, it's not a fight. That's what we've been told."

Reports claim Stephen had been drinking for eight hours during the course of the evening, with suggestions that he may have choked on his own vomit during his sleep. Police are reportedly trying to trace a man who was invited back to the apartment on the night Stephen died, but they do not think he was involved in Stephen's death and are looking for a testimony to help clarify the situation. Our thoughts are with Stephen's family and friends.

Stephen Gately Dies on Holiday in Majorca

PopSugarUK — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:47:21 -0700

I am very sad to report that Boyzone's Stephen Gately has died at the age of 33.

Stephen was on holiday in Majorca with his partner Andy Cowles when he apparently went out for drinks, returned to the place the pair were staying and fell asleep, tragically he never woke up. The cause of his death is unclear at this stage.

Boyzone manager and The X Factor judge Louis Walsh said:

"We're all absolutely devastated. I'm in complete shock. I was only with him on Monday at an awards ceremony. We don't know much about what's happened yet. I only heard after The X Factor and we will rally around each other this week. He was a great man."

Ronan Keating, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham are reportedly flying out to Majorca today. Our thoughts are with Stephen's family, friends and fans.

UPDATE: Louis will not be appearing on The X Factor tonight.

To read an official statement from the other members of Boyzone, just read more.

"We have shared such wonderful times together over the years and were all looking forward to sharing many more. Stephen was a beautiful person in both body and spirit. He lit up our lives and those of the many friends he had all over the world. Our love and sympathy go out to Andrew and Stephen's family. We love you and will miss you forever."

Sugar Bits - Catherine Zeta-Jones to Play Susan Boyle?

PopSugarUK — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:09:08 -0700

Catherine Zeta-Jones has allegedly asked about the film rights to the Susan Boyle's life story and appearance on Britain's Got Talent, as she reportedly wants to play the part of Susan herself. It is also being reported that director James Cameron, of Titanic fame, has expressed an interest in a film project too. - Daily Mail
Mel Gibson attended the LA premiere of X -Men Origins: Wolverine with Russian girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva yesterday. - Times
Boyzone's UK and Ireland tour is in doubt after Keith Duffy collapsed following the London marathon and underwent an emergency double hernia operation. - Mirror
Kerry Katona spoke about how she deals with mental illness and the media in a speech she gave to the Oxford Union debating society. Kerry arrived with an MTV film crew, and while 250 people had been expected to be present, only 100 people attended. - PA
David and Victoria Beckham have cancelled plans to celebrate their tenth anniversary with a big party in Hollywood, opting for a low-key private celebration instead. Victoria is reportedly resentful that David puts his career before their relationship. - Daily Star
State of Play has gone straight in at number one on the UK and Ireland film chart. The crime thriller starring Helen Mirren and Russell Crowe made £1.5million in its first weekend, pushing Monsters vs Aliens into second spot. - BBC

Source and MrPaparazzi.com

Inside the 2009 London Marathon!

PopSugarUK — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:29:41 -0700

35,000 people ran the London Marathon yesterday, including celebrities like Nell McAndrew, Gordon and Tana Ramsay, Jenni Falconer, Kate Lawler, Peter Andre and Katie Price. We knew who to expect, and now we get to see them all with their medals and their massive grins. Congratulations to everyone who took part!

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London Marathon 2009 Celebrity Runners

PopSugarUK — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 23:00:00 -0700

In honour of the London Marathon on Sunday, I quizzed you on which celebrities have run in years gone by. Now I'm turning my attention to the celebs who have signed up to run this year, including previous participants Gordon Ramsay, Matthew Macfadyen and newcomer Katie Price. Find out who else is running by checking out my slideshow.

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Irish Stars See Off St Patrick's Day at Meteor Music Awards

PopSugarUK — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:45:15 -0700

Irish musicians celebrated St Patrick's Day at the Meteor Ireland Music Awards in Dublin last night. Your favourite Irish band Boyzone partied at the ceremony alongside Westlife's Shane Filan and Nicky Byrne, who collected the group's gong for Best Irish Pop Act. The Script picked up two awards for Best Irish Album and Best Irish Band, while James Morrison was named Best International Male. He performed on stage, as did Stereophonics and Elbow. Caprice was her usual shy and retiring self in gold, while Gabriella Cilmi shimmered in silver after performing at Sound Relief in Australia. How did you celebrate St Patrick's Day?

To see more pictures of all the attendees, including Michelle Heaton, Laura Whitmore, Jasmine James Morrison, Craig Doyle and Elbow, just read more.

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Images include: Gabriella Cilmi, Caprice, Michelle Heaton, Laura Whitmore, Jasmine Guinness, Kelly Jones, Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Louis Walsh, Shane Lynch, Stephen Gately, Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy, James Morrison, Craig Doyle, Elbow

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Who is Your Favourite Irish Band?

PopSugarUK — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:00:00 -0700

To celebrate St Patrick's Day last year, I asked you about your favourite Irish actors, and this year I want to know your views on musicians. Today I've selected four big Irish bands: U2, Boyzone, Westlife and The Script. I'd love to know which band is your favourite, so vote below to let me know, and stay tuned for more St Patrick's Day coverage!

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