Ronan Keating was too much of a “coward” to take drugs.
The singer, now 47, was rocketed to global fame after joining Boyzone in 1993, but said he never tried to numb himself to the pressures of life in the spotlight by taking illegal substances.
He told The Guardian when asked if he had ever turned to drugs to handle the pressures of fame: “Never. I’m a coward.
“I always thought if I did, I’d be the unlucky one on the floor in convulsions.
“I never touched cocaine, heroin, none of it. Red wine is my drug – a New Zealand pinot noir, please.”
Ronan’s comments come as he reflects on the darker side of boy band fame in a new documentary on Boyzone, which is being aired following the tragic death of ex-One Direction singer Liam Payne last year.
Liam fell to his death from a hotel balcony while “not fully conscious” aged 31 in October after consuming cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant.
Ronan said about the tragedy: “When I heard what happened to Liam, I texted (Boyzone singer) Keith (Duffy) and said, ‘That could have been any one of us’.”
The singer also said he watched as One Direction shot to worldwide fame like Boyzone “through my fingers.”
Ronan, a father of five and a grandfather of one, added he remains grateful for his decision to avoid drugs.
He also believes cracks often form in boy bands – a theme explored in ‘Boyzone: No Matter What’, the new Sky documentary charting the group’s journey.
Ronan went on: “You have to remember, we were not friends when we started out.
“We didn’t go to university together like Coldplay. We were put together and made to get on. There were always going to be cracks.”
Despite this, Ronan marvels at how the group endured.
He added: “It’s pretty impressive that 30 years on – Jesus, 30 years! – we still get along.”
The documentary concludes with a poignant moment – Ronan holding a pint of Guinness, sitting in a pub with bandmates Keith and Shane Lynch, reflecting on the highs and lows of their journey, which include the death of their fellow singer Stephen Gately in 1999 aged 33, from an undiagnosed heart condition.
‘Boyzone: No Matter What’ airs on Sky Documentaries and Now from 2 February at 9pm.
