Ronan Keating says Stephen Gately’s husband is part of Boyzone

Singer Ronan Keating is still struggling to come to terms with Stephen’s death last month, but says his friendship with Stephen’s partner Andrew Cowles has helped him deal with his grief. He hit out at claims Stephen and Andrew had a rocky relationship, insisting they were very much in love.

“Andrew’s having good days and bad days. He’s thrown himself into arranging a memorial. We don’t know what that will be yet,” Ronan told Britain’s The Sun newspaper. “But people have to understand Stephen and Andrew were totally in love. The week before he died me and Stephen spoke at length about Andrew. He told me how lucky he was to have met him and how lucky he was to have him by his side. There is no question they were in love. Absolutely genuinely. I know Andrew and we all go out with him regularly. He’s one of us now.”

Stephen died of a pulmonary oedema, a rapid build-up of fluid in the lungs, following a night out in Majorca with Andrew and their friend Georgi Dochev. It was Georgi who discovered Stephen’s body in the living room of his and Andrew’s holiday apartment.

Ronan has also rubbished reports Stephen had been drinking heavily before his death, insisting he consumed no more alcohol than the rest of the band, comprising Ronan, Keith Duffy, Shane Lynch and Mikey Graham.

He told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “Steo was one of the healthiest guys I knew. He had a drink – we all had a drink – but he wasn’t one of those people who would binge or drink all the time. It was a freak accident.”