At 46, Ronan Keating Welcomes First Grandchild After ‘Love Island’ Star Son Jack Introduced His Daughter

Mar 22, 2023

Boyzone member Ronan Keating has become a young grandfather at 46 years old after his eldest son, Jack Keating, announced his daughter's birth on Instagram. Jack, an actor, kept mum about his child and the baby's mother prior to appearing in the popular reality TV dating show, "Love Island."  

Ronan also stayed tight-lipped about his son's romantic life. In his announcement, Jack posted a photo of himself clutching his daughter in his arms on March 10, 2023, while Ronan commented about the "little cutie." Jack's mother, Yvonne Connolly, also posted that she already misses her granddaughter. 

The boyband frontman and Connolly were married from 1998 to 2015. Aside from Jack, who was born in 1999, they also share Missy, born in 2001 and Ali, born in 2005. But their marriage fell apart after Ronan confessed to his affair with Francine Cornell, a backup dancer for Boyzone when his wife saw his phone bills. 

The ex-couple tried to save their marriage but ended up splitting in 2012. Their divorce was finalized after three years. In 2019, Ronan addressed his critics who continued to blame him for the divorce by stating that there was "a lot more to it than an affair" and that his first marriage was "broken well before then."

After their split, Connolly found a new love in cinematographer John Conroy while Ronan remarried Storm Uechtritz Keating, an Australian producer. Ronan and Storm share two children, Copper, born in 2017, and Coco Know, born in 2020. 

Due to their exposure to their dad's work, Jack and Missy tracked a path in show business. But it was Jack's appearance on "Love Island" in 2022 that made his father "nervous as hell” because the dating show attracted a lot of controversies. 

Speaking with MailOnline, Ronan said that, despite his nervousness, he fully supported Jack's decision to join "Love Island" because his son very much wanted to become part of the dating show. He knew that Jack would have plenty of opportunities coming in once his stint in the series ended. Still, Ronan confessed in the podcast "Under The Duvet" in July 2022 that watching the show was "like watching a horror movie." 

"You have the pillow up in front of you the whole time in fear, waiting for that jump moment," Ronan said. "That's what it's like as a parent watching 'Love Island,' it's like a horror movie." 

However, viewers were surprised to learn about Jack's baby news because he was supposed to be on the show to find love. This meant that Jack was filming the series when the mother of his baby was in the early trimester of her pregnancy. 

In a statement following the birth announcement, Jack confirmed that he and his baby's mother are not together anymore but they are going to co-parent the child. He also said that everyone in his family is excited about this new chapter in his young life.  

Ronan eventually acknowledged that he did become a first-time grandfather on his talk show, "The One Show," on March 20, 2023. He told his co-hosts that he wants his new granddaughter to call him "Pops." 

Connolly also shared her happiness at being a "Granny" and posted a photo with Jack and her new granddaughter on Instagram. She said that she was "so proud" of her son, who celebrated his 24th birthday on March 15, 2023.

What can you say about Ronan Keating becoming a grandfather in his 40s? What do you think of his reaction to his son's reality TV stint? Do you know a fan of his? Then tell them about this story!