‘I suffered a lot with Stephen dying. I went to a dark place’ – Keith Duffy on insecurity and dealing with grief

Being popular with girls helped Keith Duffy mask his shyness, but despite Boyzone’s successes, he didn’t conquer his insecurity until later. Now, the far side of hard-partying on Boyzone tours, anguish over Stephen Gately’s death and losing his father to Covid following recovery from cancer, he explains why he’s happier than ever...

Keith Duffy. Photo: Steve Humphreys.

Liadán Hynes

One day recently enough, Keith Duffy arrived home with what he thought was a big revelation.

“I remember sitting Lisa and Jay down,” he tells me. “Life has been interesting, because there’s a perception of wealth within the music business, and then going into Coronation Street for ten years, and I had other businesses along the way, some were very successful, and some let me down.