Keating: Theatre Debut Makes Me Feel 'Exposed'

Ronan Keating has told Sky News performing on the West End stage in musical Once left him feeling "exposed"

The Irish star has been the frontman for the band Boyzone for 20 years, but has just branched out to perform for the first time in musical theatre.

"As a pop star you can hide behind your band, you can hide behind your dance moves, you can hide behind backing tracks and so on," Keating told Sky News.

"Not that I ever mimed but you still have layered vocals, so you have a place to hide most of the time. On this stage there is nowhere to hide. After 21 years of doing it, I needed this challenge."

Once is a stage adaptation of the 2007 film about a Dublin busker who makes music with a Czech mother he meets.

The 37-year-old singer has been judging the Australian X Factor in recent years and a new Boyzone album has just been released, throwing a musical into the mix was not something he ever imagined he would do, saying he saw that as his late bandmate Stephen Gately's territory.

"Never saw myself as someone who would do West End or Broadway. I've been offered different things but never thought it was for me," he said.

"Stephen Gately loved it, I love going to the West End, love seeing the shows and we kind of left it to Steo, but it was this show that really took my interest."

Keating has had a difficult few years following the split from his wife Yvonne in 2011 but he credits his TV executive girlfriend Storm Uechtritz with gathering enough confidence to take on this theatre role.

"Storm made me believe I could do it. Being from the world I'm in, that world where I'm protected, sometimes you don't want to look over that wall and you don't want people to look in," the singer admitted.

"It took Storm to tell me I am capable of doing this, someone like Storm to believe in me and push me forward."

Keating is set to appear in Once at London's Phoenix theatre until March 21.

: Also on Entertainment Week, Games Of Thrones actor Mark Stanley joins us in the studio to talk about his new film, Kajaki: A True Story, based on events in Afghanistan. Paddington director Paul King on bringing the iconic bear to life on the big screen. Angelina Jolie reveals her future plans behind the camera and in politics while Jennifer Aniston talks Oscar buzz. Plus, our film critic Joe Michalczuk gives his verdict on the latest film releases including Horrible Bosses 2.

: Entertainment Week airs every Saturday on Sky News at 3.30pm and 8.30pm and is anytime on Catch Up TV.