Chapter 3 - Secrets, Girls, and Fame

Chapter 3 Secrets, Girls, and Fame

The subject of sex and girlfriends became a recurring line of questioning for all the lads during publicity interviews. As their fame grew, so did the focus on their private lives. The management policy - as it has always been with boy bands - was to deny that any of them had girlfriends. Luckily, that was true of Ro and Shane. Steve, too, was single after his girlfriend, Joanne, had finished him when he joined the band because she felt she would never see enough of him. Unfortunately, it wasn't true of Keith and Mikey. Both lads had been in serious relationships before BZ was formed and they were determined to continue them, despite fears that it would upset the fans should the secrets leak out. Keith was going out with Lisa Smith, an attractive girl he met in 1994 at The POD nightclub in Dublin. Mikey had fallen for another local girl called Sharon Keane. Both boys were told to be discreet and always tell interviewers they single. The management hoped no one would catch on and they didn't. Well, at least, not for a while.

Mikey's secret would stay safe for a long time, but Keith's was discovered by the press very quickly when he flew off for a week's holiday to Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, off the North coast of Africa. He thought he and his girlfriend and the couple travelling with them would be anonymous on the trip. Details of their itinerary were kept secret, but, unfortunately, he was followed by a sneaky paparazzi photographer once he landed at Tenerife airport. Soon after Keith checked into the five star Parque Santiago Hotel, he headed straight to the pool to sunbathe. As he stretched out on a sunbed, he relaxed and put all the pressures of fame out of his mind, but, unknown to him, he was still centre stage for at least 1 pair of eyes.

High on a balcony overlooking the pool, the photographer was hard at work watching Keith's every move. And he couldn't help but smile because laying on sunbeds either side of the singer were 2 girls - and both were topless. One of the girls was Lisa, the other was her friend. As the camera clicked away, the snapper could see a bumper pay cheque through his telephoto lens. He had one of the hearthrobs of Boyzone, who was meant to be clean-cut single, in a very embarassing spread of sexy pictures.

Keith had no idea he had been caught until he was telephoned later at the hotel by a reporter from the News of the World. When the reporter said they had pictures of him with the girls, Keith tried to bluff his way out of the situation and denied he knew either of them. Unconvincingly, he said, "I just met them beside the pool, I don't even know their names. They were lying beside me. I'm here on my own. Honest, there's no special girl in my life. The girls in the pictures are girls I had just met for the day. Don't get upset, there are no wedding bells or anything like that. I am here on my own, enjoying the super weather. The only news I have for the fans is that I got a bit sunburnt.

The excuses seemed rather hollow when Keith's unofficial holiday snaps appeared across two pages in the Irish editions of the News of the World. He was pictured playing pool and splashing aoround the water with Lisa, but the picture which caused the most embarrassment was him sunbathing bet. Lisa and her friend. Luckily for Keith and the rest of Boyzone, the damage was limited because the pictures were not published in the main print run of the News of theWorld in the UK. At least his secret was more or less safe from everywhere outside Ireland.

While Mikey and Keith were busy juggling relationships with their teen heart-throb status, the others were trying to cope with the obsessive attention of the fans. Ronanwas finding it more difficult than the others. He had never had a serious girlfriend and now it seemed harder than ever to meet someone special. It was an impossible situation: he had thousands of girls in love with him and could easily have a different partner each night of the week, but how would he know who to trust and who were genuine? At least, Mike and Keith had relationships which were formed before they were famous. Ronan, Shane, and Steve would struggle to know if girls were interested in them, or simply their fame and future wealth.

Ronan's love life was made more complicated because he was still a virgin. He was brought up in a strict Catholic faith which stipulates no sex before marriage. He was more than happy to stick to that rule, but it made meeting a special girl more difficult. In one interview, Ronan talked candidly of his worries. He said," I'm only 18 and it's hard being away from home, away from my mum and dad. You can feel so londly away from your friends and family. I don't have a girlfriend at the moment and sometines I wish I had someone to rely on, someone to talk to. I often lie awake at night and wonder when I am going to meet the firl of my dreams. I'm a romantic and I'm still waiting for the perfect girl. Beleive me, being in a pop band doesn't make it any easier. Relationships are out of the question right now. We are too busy and it just wouldn't be fair on any girl to put up with our hectic lifestyle.

"I tell the fans I am a virgin and they know to look, but not to touch. A one-night stand is not how I plan to lose my virginity. It is a very special thing to me. I come from a good Catholic family and was brought up to respect it. When the firls get fruity, I stand my ground and tell them I have to wait for the special moment when I know it will be right. When it is, I know that girl will be my only sexual partner. Call me idealistic, but I know it's achievable. If you love somebody, anything is possible. Love is the most abused word in the world. It is used and said for the wrong reasons."

"I used to laugh at the kids at school who slept around. They showed no respect by wasting something so important. When I hear about lads coming home from a two-week holiday in Majorca, where they put it about, I think it's pathetic. I just wasn't brought up to think like that. Some of my classmates were parents before they finished their GCSE's. That would have scared the life out of me. Keith and his girlfriend have their heads screwed on and they love each other."

For Shane, the attention from girls was a novelty which he was enjoying. Throughout his teenage years he had been more interested in winning races on his BMX bike, than chasing girls. And, even when he was older, girls always came a poor second to the buzz he got from driving cars fast. Now reckless speed was out of the question, he was starting to enhoy the female attention. But, like the others, Shane was only looking for a genuine relationship, not a one-night stand. He said,"Until recently, I had no time for girls at all - I was only interested in messing about with bikes and cars. Now I get a lot of attention and ggirls wanting to kiss me, which is fun, but groupies aren't my style. If I had a girlfriend, I'd like someone who'd want me for myself, and not for the pop star they see up on the stage."

The Tenerife experience hammered home to Boyzone that their widening fame meant they were now never truly out of the limelight. At all their public appearances and concerts they were mobbed. Even when they were on the move between venues, some of their older fans followed in cars and communicated with other fans on moblie phones giving out info about the band's location. It seemed impossible to escape the spotlight. One of their few remaining refuges was in Dublin with their families, but those addresses had been common knowledge for some time and were staked out day and night. Although the boys loved being gamous, some days it would wear them down, particularly when they were tired and in desperate need of some space and privacy. Ronan said, "This is a very demanding job - it's crazy, madness. You have to keep going mentally. The pressures mean we sometimes want to throttle each other but we laugh about it later. At other times we just have great fun and a real laugh. It's wild life and you never know what's around the corner. We're very lucky, but the price of fame is very high. You need privacy and time to go out with friends, but you can't do that anymore. Every time you go out your front door you are on stage."