Ronan & Cat from Contact Music

[Helen]

KEATING'S AMBITION REALISED WITH ISLAM DUET

RONAN KEATING's fulfilled his "lifetime ambition" when he dueted with YUSUF ISLAM, the singer formerly known as CAT STEVENS.

The Irish star auditioned for boyband BOYZONE with Islam's song FATHER + SON- a track which the band later recorded - and meeting the songwriter was a dream come true.

Keating says, "It was a lifetime ambition to work with Yusuf... He came down with his son to see us performing the song eight or nine years ago on (BBCmusic TV show) TOP OF THE POPS and that was incredible.

"We stayed in touch over the years and it was only recently when we thought of the 10 YEARS OF HITS concept that I realised he perfect duet to do would be Father + Son... In the studio he was a very peaceful, quiet man, decent and honest.

"He came in and he didn't really want to do the father thing and me do the son, but before I knew it there he was singing the father bit and I'm going,'This is brilliant'. It was a magic moment."

[Helen]

KEATING DEFENDS CAT STEVENS

from Contact Music

Pop hunk RONAN KEATING has defended his friend CAT STEVENS - branding his deportation from America last week (begs20SEP04) "horrendous".

The pair met when Keating's former band BOYZONE covered Stevens' FATHER AND SON song in 1995, and he says they have been friends ever since.

He insists Stevens - who changed his name to YUSUF ISLAM after his conversion to Islam - is one of the gentlest men he has ever met and he's shocked the 57-year-old's name was spotted on a US security 'watch list' during a flight from London to Washington last Tuesday (21SEP04) when his name and his flight was diverted before officials deported him back to Britain.

Keating says, "It's absolutely horrendous. He's the most peaceful, gentle man in the world. They got it wrong, I think they know that, but I don't think he's been told yet.

"We were talking on the phone yesterday about it. I mean, he can't believe it, in fact, he was laughing about it. I suppose it's the only way to look at it. Because he is the gentlest man I've ever met."