Ronan reveals all...

It's one of Ronan's most honest interviews ever. The Boyzone lad talks about his mum, Yvonne and the problems he's faced...

There were some worrying stories that you had a nervous breakdown after the death of your mum. Was there any truth to them?

"I didn't have a breakdown. That story is crap! I was feeling rock-bottom. The world and it's friends were on my back and I needed to take time out. I'd come back to work too soon after what happened to my mother. I shouldn't have. I should have taken time to realise what was going on in my head. So I told the boys I had to take a break. And it was a big move for me because we had to do Top Of The Pops the next day. That's not something I'd normally do, because my career is very important to me!"

Is it still hard to think about your mum?

"Yeah, I question why she died. She didn't deserve it, she gave us everything we ever wanted as a family. She hadn't a bad bone in her body. My mam shouldn't have been put through all that pain."

She's really special to you isn't she?

"Before Boyzone she wanted me to stay at school, but then she realised how much music meant to me and she said, "Go for it, Ro." She made me what I am today. I believe that totally. My mam built up my confidence by saying, "Whatever you touch will turn to gold Ro. Whatever you want, you will do it." In that sense I was totally spoiled. I wouldn't have admitted that four years ago, but I will now!

Would she have liked Yvonne?

"I introduced Yvonne to mam and mam told me she liked her a lot, loved her. But she never said, "Go ahead and get married."

Is it true you believe your mum made the sun shine on your wedding day?

"Yeah. It was raining quite heavily all morning and then, half an hour before the wedding, the sun burst out from behind the clouds. And as we were going through rows of houses to get married I felt my mam's presence beside me."

You and Yvonne look so happy together...

"We are. But she's not used to the music business and after five years, I am. So, God love her, I felt sorry for her. In fact, at one point I had to take her away because it wasn't fair what the papers were saying about us. That was straight after the marriage and when we came back they were all putting their views forward on why we got married. I just said to Yvonne, "Rise above it. They don't care about our feelings."

Was she upset?

"Totally. It's not fair, because she truly loves me and she wants to tell people she loves me, just as I want to tell people I love her. But at the end of the day, Yvonne and I know how we feel."

And how's that?

"Outside of my family I haven't met anyone, blue eyed, blonde, whatever, that means to me as much as Yvonne does. This is something I've wanted to do with Yvonne for a long time. We were best friends before we became a couple. That was the foundation before there was a relationship. There was a group of us, we hung out together and that't how it started. I've known her since I was ten. But then, last year, I realised it was either goodbye or tell her how I felt. So I told her and luckily, she felt the same way."

Was she surprised?

"She was surprised I said it, but not that I felt that way!"

Have you had a lot of girlfriends in the past?

"I saw other people but there was no full-on relationship like there is with Yvonne.

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