Duffy 'can't perform without Gately'

[Perdita]

Keith Duffy has admitted that he is unsure whether he will be able to perform without his late Boyzone bandmate Stephen Gately.

Speaking to The Mirror, Duffy explained that he is not ready to get on stage yet after Gately's death last October.

"The rest of the lads want to [perform on stage], I'm the only one at the moment who is uncertain," he said. "The dynamics on stage would be very different. Time is a healer and we'll see how I feel but at the moment I couldn't step on stage without him - no way."

Duffy added that his role on Coronation Street has been helping him deal with his "massive loss".

"It's separate to what I did with Stephen and it also helps take my mind off my grief," he explained. "I'm busy filming during the day and reading my lines at night time.

"I'm living in Manchester, close to the studios, and my wife and kids are in Dublin, so I spend a lot of time on my own, which has given me a lot of time to deal with my inner demons."

However, he admitted: "I still get waves of grief and moments when Stephen's death hits me like a ton of bricks and disbelief kicks in again."

[Chloe O'brien]

I don't think Boyzone will perform together again, you can understand how Keith is feeling. It would be different if Stephen had left the group all together.

[Katy]

no i dont think the will either, they are so devastated, you can just tell when they arespeaking.

[Perdita]

Boyzone star Keith Duffy has revealed that he has suffered from panic attacks since the death of his bandmate Stephen Gately.

The singer claimed that he has been experiencing phases of breathlessness and discomfort since Gately passed away in October.

"I have waves of emotion that can hit me at any time. In the first few weeks they were terrifying. I couldn't breathe, I'd go light-headed and it was incredibly frightening. They still come, but I can handle them better now," he told Closer.

Duffy, who recently reprised his role as Ciaran in Coronation Street, admitted that Gately brought out Boyzone's sensitive side.

"Stephen brought out our nurturing sides - we'd think nothing of hugging and kissing each other," he said.

"And he got us into pampering! We were into our flash cars, but Stephen would just spend thousands on beauty products! He got us into expensive face creams - we were the gayest straight band in the world and we loved him for it."

Boyzone release new single 'Give It All Away' on March 1.

DS


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