Boyzone singer Ronan Keating has separated from his wife Yvonne after 12 years of marriage, it was announced today.
A statement issued on the couple’s behalf said: “With great sadness, Ronan and Yvonne Keating today announce their separation.
“The separation is amicable and they will continue to work together in order to provide the best for their children. The family ask for privacy at this difficult time.”
A spokesman said there would be no further comment.
The couple became friends as teenagers in Ireland and married in April 1998 while on holiday on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean, after a short romance. The couple have three children.
Keating (33) said that beginning a relationship with Yvonne led him to give up the one-night stands and wild parties he enjoyed as a young man on tour with Boyzone, saying that at that moment “everything changed”.
The singer has carved out a successful solo career, selling more than 22 million records around the world. He is in the Guinness Book of Records as the only artist ever to have 30 consecutive top 10 singles in the UK charts.
His career highlights also include winning Ivor Novello and BMI songwriting awards.
Keating last year lost his close friend and Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately.
Keating and the then Yvonne Connolly tied the knot on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean in April 1998, and their first child, Jack, was born within a year. The pair had known each other since their early teens, but married within months of beginning a relationship.
The pair's beach marriage came less than three months after the death of Keating's mother Marie from breast cancer. He asked her to marry him on a whim after they had been for a walk and the ceremony was held shortly after.
They had a church blessing in Ireland a year later with friends and family.
Speaking of their relationship, in one interview, he has said: "I've said it before and I'll say it a thousand times, my wife is everything to me. She's my rock, the love of my life. I'm very lucky."
PA