MUSIC mogul Louis Walsh has said he has “nothing against” Ronan Keating, just months after calling him a p***k on national TV.
Walsh was the manager for Boyzone and later for a while was also Ronan’s manager when he went solo.
But the pair had a falling out and Ronan fired him.
On Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year, Louis called Keating a p***k.
He has now said he didn’t mean it, and it was a “panto” answer.
Louis said: “I think he’s good, I think he’s a great hustler.
“I think as an artist he’s good, very ambitious and there’s nothing he won’t do – radio, TV, acting, he will do it and I love that about him, but he should just be him and just sing a certain type of songs, the country songs.”
Louis was speaking on Nicky Byrne’s podcast, who suggested they were both still hurt by the falling out.
He quickly dismissed this and said: “No, over it, honestly. Life’s too short, I moved on a long time ago.
“It was fun, it wasn’t even for the money, the success was great.”
Asked if he would answer a phone call from Ronan, Louis said: “He won’t ring, Ronan is too proud.”
He added: “I wouldn’t call him, he’d have to call me. I’ve nothing against him, I think he’s a great worker, I think he’ll do well, I think he’ll still do well, he’s doing well in Germany. He tried radio, tried TV, he’ll try anything. He’s getting on a bit.
“It’s kind of in Jason Donovan territory so I won’t…. You meet a certain age and you have a certain audience – how do you grow that audience?”
In relation to the swear word TV rant, Louis said: “I did say that, but it’s kind of panto, it wasn’t meant in a bad way. I didn’t know they were going to air it.”
Asked if he regrets it, Louis stated: “Probably, maybe it was a mistake. I just said it, it wasn’t meant out of badness and I was there for a reason, to say things I shouldn’t say, that was my role and I knew they wanted me because they really begged me to do that show.
“I didn’t want to do it and eventually they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse so I knew I had to deliver, I had to slag off a few people.
“I wouldn’t apologise. It wasn’t meant badly. Life’s too short, let’s get on with it, it’s over and done.”
HEALTH CONDITION
On CBB, Louis revealed that he was diagnosed with Waldenstrom, a rare type of blood cancer.
He revealed to Nicky that the cancer wasn’t caught at first as it’s so rare.
He added that it was only found after he attended the Mater hospital complaining of being tired, which he put down to his work on the X Factor.
Louis explained: “I’m fine now. It’s maintenance, as Sharon Osbourne said to me. I did have a thing called Waldenstrom cancer, it’s a blood cancer and I didn’t realise until I went to the Mater Private, they checked me out and I was told it’s fine, manageable, and I’m in remission and I’m feeling good.
‘SCARY’
“It’s so scary but nowadays, [with] modern medicine they can do everything. Mater Private – fantastic nurses, doctors – they’re the real stars. They work tirelessly and they help everybody and they cure people. I’m fixed and I’m fine, I’m loving life again.”
He added that it took him a while to get back on his feet after suffering with the illness as he “didn’t know what to do”.
