Following his comments that he does not regret the end of his marriage, Ronan Keating has hit out at ex-wife Yvonne Connolly for “nasty” claims that he was an absent father.
The Boyzone star has said he was hurt by the allegation that he wasn’t there for his kids, after posting on Facebook last week that there was more to his affair and marriage breakdown than people think.
“Over the years I have kept my mouth shut & taken all the blame for the sake of my kids & my ex wife. But enough now. After 6yrs I draw the line,” he wrote.
“There is a lot more to my situation than people will ever know & that’s the way it should be.”
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, he said: “I do have a major problem with what she said about (me being an absent father). That was ridiculous.
“I worked very, very hard and I was a very good father. I provided in every way. If I didn’t work nobody had any money, nobody has a life. I think possibly her saying that was the hurt of the moment coming out.”
He added: “I have a great relationship with my kids. I think it’s not right for herself and myself to have a battle in public like this.”
Ronan then took to his Twitter page to further slam his former wife for the claims. “I’ve always been a great father & the kids would testify 2 that.What has been said is nasty & upsetting 4 the family,” he tweeted.
The singer was referring to comments Yvonne made last year to Colette Fitzpatrick on Newstalk. Speaking on air, she said:
“The word broken marriages and broken families is thrown around. When I found myself in that situation first, we were all on great terms but it was difficult.
“But the kids had grown up with a father who wasn’t always there anyway. They were used to periods of time where they wouldn’t see their dad all the time so they adjusted quite well. I prefer the title of modern family.”
Yvonne has stayed silent on social media since Ronan began to defend the marriage breakdown and his role as a dad.
