Lads in love
Ronan, Keith and Shane are married, Mikey's engaged and
Stephen's enjoying life as a single lad. Welcome to the loved-up world of
Boyzone...
After a gruelling morning of appearances, Sugar catch up with
Boyzone at a swanky hotel in Chelsea, London on a lazy summer afternoon. The
lads arrange themselves around a table on a very grand balcony, underneath an
umbrella that wobbles alarmingly (causing great amusement to Stephen). Boyzone
are polite, but obviously cream-crackered after weeks of exhausting work
promoting their hit album, Where We Belong. For the first five minutes,
the boys simply stare into space. But after a few refreshing sips of orange
juice, they perk up and before long they're spilling the beans on love, marriage
and DIY!
How did each of you propose?
Ronan Yvonne and I were in Dublin and I got
down on one knee to her. I really wanted to do the whole thing properly.
Keith Me too. The first time I proposed to
Lisa was three years ago at a party in a pub near to where Ronan lives. We'd
just finished touring Germany and I'd invited 500 people along to the party
specially. I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me in front of all of
them. Lisa couldn't say a word, she just cried her eyes out!
Mikey I was far less extravagant! Sharon and
I were at home one night in the living room and I got our daughter Hannah to
take the ring over to her for me. But she cried tool!
Shane My proposal is private. It's between
myself and Easther.
Stephen, you're the only remaining Boyzone batchelor. Do you feel
left out now the other lads are getting hitched?
Stephen Everyone keeps asking me when it's
gonna be my turn so, in a way, I do feel as if I'm under more pressure to get
married. But I'm only 22 and there's plenty of time to settle down.
As experts on love, how do you tell if someone is 'The One'?
Stephen Love is just a feeling you get - all
that excitement! You can't sleep or eat and your heart starts beating faster.
Shane (Interrupting Stephen) Nah,
that's not love, that's infatuation. Love isn't something you can explain.
It's a very individual thing.
Ronan Love's when you hear her voice and your
legs go weak, or when you see her and your stomach goes upside down. The most
wonderful feeling is when you hold someone and know they're going to love you
forever.
Mikey I know what love is! It's when you've
spent all your money down the pub and your girl treats you to fish and chips on
the way home!
Ronan, did you always know there was something special about Yvonne?
Ronan I fell for her the moment I saw her
even though I was only 14. We lost touch and didn't see each other for years,
then we became best friends. But I knew I felt something more for her. In the
end, it was either walk away or tell her how I felt. So I told her, and,
thank god, she felt the same way!
Keith (Agreeing with Ronan) Love is
something that comes from within. Like Ro, I was friends with Lisa before we
went out together. Our love grew from that.
Stephen, has marriage changed the guys?
Stephen Nah, they're still the same.
Ronan I don't think marriage has changed me
at all
Keith (Jumping in) I think you've
quietened down Ro.
Ronan I haven't! It's just that the band
haven't had a chance to go out together for ages. We need a night out lagering
our heads off, don't we lads?
Mikey I'm only engaged at the moment, but I'm
sure marriage won't change me. Sharon's my best mate and I can't wait for it to
be the two of us against the world.
Shane The only difference once you're married
is that life's not about just you any more. It's about you and your wife
together. You put her feelings before your own.
Do you think you're all quite young to be married?
Ronan (Defensively) Not at all. What
does age really mean?
Keith I've already done more than my father
will ever do in his life. I've seen more than he will ever see, I've owned more
than he will ever own. Ultimately what's right is right, whether you're 60 or
21. If you've met the right person, what does age matter?
How do you stop yourselves missing your loved ones when you're away
on tour?
Stephen You don't. It's hard, but it's just
part of what we do.
Ronan By working hard! And even that doesn't
help! Yvonne travels with me a lot. A friend once told me, "Spend time
together, because being apart is the hardest thing." And that's what I
try to do. Understanding what's happening in each others lives is so important
Mikey The only time I don't miss my family is
the night before I'm going home
Keith We always miss our loved ones, but we
just have to get on with it and support one another. We love our wives but at
the same time we love the boys too.
Do you have huge phone bills?
Shane Ronan is terrible on the phone. (The
others all nod in agreement.) He'll ring Yvonne at any opportunity saying; "Hi,
I'm getting into a lift," then "Hi, I'm leaving the lift!" (Everyone
laughs)
Ronan Yeah (Giving in to their ribbing)
I suppose my phone bill is pretty large!
So dish the dirt. Which of you is the most romantic?
Shane Stephen definitely. He's always
sending flowers to girls and feeding them champagne!
Stephen (Quick to stand up for himself)
I am not! I suppose I am a bit romantic, but not massively so. If someone's
nice or does me a favour, I'll send flowers to say thankyou, that's all.
Shane That's really slushy! I'm not romantic
at all. The closest I ever get to romance is taking Easther to B&Q to
have a look at screws, plugs and sockets!
What about the rest of you?
Mikey I do romantic stuff, but nothing
extraordinary. I'll send flowers, cook dinner and stuff like that. Me and
Sharon cook a fantastic sweet and sour stir fry!
Ronan I sing for Yvonne occasionally. Every
now and then, usually when I'm driving the car I'll break into song for her.
Keith I like to show a lady how much I love
her and if that means being a little soppy sometimes, well then so be it.
Who were your first crushes?
Ronan Music was my first crush. I was always
too interested in sport and music to have a girlfriend
Keith This girl in Neighbours, but I
can't remember who she played. It wasn't Beth (Natalie Imbruglia). This girl
was better looking.
Shane (Enthusiastically) Miss
Gartland, my teacher when I was five. She had dark hair, piercing green eyes
and a bright smile. I was so in love!
Stephen Wonderwoman was gorgeous. I
particularly loved the fact that she wore very small clothes!
Shane and Stephen (Leaning close to the
dictaphone) We'll tell you a secret...Mikey uses to fancy Barbara
Streisand!
Mikey No I did not! My first crush was when
I was six. It was on this girl with long, blonde hair called Valerie. I
probably would have died for her but she never even looked at me.
Awww! Have any of you ever had your hearts broken?
Shane Oh, I definitely did. My school
teacher Miss Gartland got married and I was totally gutted. (And he looks
it too!)
Mikey Broken? I've had my heart picked up,
thrown against a wall and smashed. In the end you just have to super glue it
all together and start again.
Stephen When I was about 15, I broke up with
a girl I'd been going out with for about six months. She just said goodbye and
left me. I still don't know why, but you just have to carry on. I was pretty
bruised for a while though
Keith Only Lisa could break my heart now.
And on that romantic note, we leave Boyzone alone to contemplate the
strange and mysterious ways of the heart...