Spotlight On: Love Island star Jack Keating

It’s been a whirlwind few months for Jack Keating, to say the least. 

The 24-year-old is Goss.ie’s latest Spotlight On cover star and in this exclusive interview, he opens up about how his life has changed since becoming a father. 

He also gets candid about co-parenting with his daughter’s mother, the highs and lows of growing up with famous parents, and his brief time on the biggest dating show in the world. 

As the son of Boyzone star Ronan Keating and model Yvonne Connolly, Jack has been in the public eye all his life. 

This hasn’t always been easy for him, and he found himself the target of bullies while he was in school, who teased him over his famous family. 

But all in all, Jack is incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities he’s been given in this life.

“I’ve been raised by some really great role models…”

Last summer, Jack became famous in his own right when he appeared on the UK version of Love Island. 

He joined the show in Casa Amor, where he tried to ‘graft’ the girls and secure a place in the main villa. But unfortunately, Jack was dumped from the villa after just a few days.

In this exclusive interview, the Dublin native tells us about his time on the show, and reveals whether he has any regrets.

He also shares his current relationship status…

Jack also made headlines earlier this year, when he announced the shock arrival of his daughter Maya. 

Although he admits having a baby so young was not part of his plan, Jack tells us he always wanted to be a father, and that he is loving every second of it. 

He discusses this, and so much more, in our interview below:

You’ve had a very exciting couple of years, both personally and professionally. Firstly, you recently became a father. How has your life changed since the birth of your daughter Maya Ann? 

“Oh my god, it’s changed massively in the best way. Obviously it was a big shock, it wasn’t part of the plan. But the past few months have been amazing. Maya is five and a half months old now, and that time has absolutely flown by. But yeah my life has definitely changed, I’m not the most important person anymore, my priorities have changed. You have to start thinking about the future a lot more, and securing yourself. But it’s been amazing, I’m loving every minute of it.

“I’ve always wanted to be a father…”

“I’ve always wanted to be a father. Even with my dad and Storm having Coco and Cooper, I got to experience what it was like changing nappies and getting up with them in the mornings. So I was always looking forward to doing it myself, and it’s been an amazing ride. I’m so happy.”

You kept the pregnancy news out of the public eye – why was that?

“Just for privacy really. Obviously myself and Maya’s mum aren’t together, so I didn’t want to be putting it all over social media. I just wanted to keep it private for her and for Maya’s sake as well, and to wait for the right time to come out and release the news. Obviously it was a big shock to everybody, I didn’t really tell anyone except my close family. So it was kind of breaking news when it came out because no one had any idea.

“I do like to keep things private, even though obviously my family are in the public eye. I still like to keep my own personal stuff pretty private. I felt it was in the best interest of everybody.”

There was such an overwhelming response to the news, and your comment section was flooded with such lovely messages. What was that like? 

“It was amazing. I was never even worried about that, because I knew my family were always going to be there to support me – I’ve got such an amazing support system at home. But the amazing comments and support from everybody was great. All of the anxiety that I might have had before sharing the news just got washed away, which was great.”

You and the baby’s mother are not in a romantic relationship, and are co-parenting Maya. How have you navigated that?

“It’s been great so far. Everyone has their ups and downs but it’s great, we get on well. She lives up in Birmingham at the moment, and I’m in London. So I get up to see Maya as much as possible, which is lovely. She’s finishing breastfeeding soon as well which is going to be great because I’ll be able to spend a bit more time with her. I’ll get to have her over for weekends which I’m really excited for.”

Have your family at home in Ireland been able to see much of Maya yet? 

“No not really. My mum gets over as much as possible. Her and her partner John were over a few weeks ago so we did lunch with Maya, so yeah she gets over as much as she can. But once Maya’s finished with breastfeeding, she’ll be able to travel a bit more. Her passport is due to arrive in a couple of weeks, and I can’t wait to bring her over to Ireland so she can spend more time with my family there. Everyone is so excited.”

“Becoming a parent makes you grow up a lot…”

What is the biggest thing you’ve learned since becoming a parent? 

“Probably what I said before, that you’re not the most important in your life anymore. Your priorities change. I’m still young so obviously I still go out and have a good time, but you always have to think about how everything you do now goes towards her future. My priorities have definitely changed a lot.

“Becoming a parent makes you grow up a lot. I feel like even looking back to a year ago, before I was in Love Island, I’m such a different person. It’s crazy how quickly things can change in your life. Having Maya has definitely helped me to mature.”

You must be delighted you said yes to doing Love Island when you did, given the timing…

“Yeah, it’s funny how things worked out. I have no regrets about doing Love Island, it was one of the craziest summers of my life! It was a great time, and I’m so glad I did it. And obviously I wouldn’t be able to do it now. Unless I went into the new mums and dads one, you never know!”

Irish Love Island fans were left shook when the Casa Amor line-up was announced last year, as they immediately recognised Jack.

While his time on the show was short-lived, he is forever grateful for the friends he made in the villa, and the opportunities that he has been given since. 

I ask him how Love Island came about, about his secret connection with one of his co-stars, and about the after-care he received…

Speaking of Love Island, tell us about how you signed up for the show.

“My sister Missy was originally approached, they approached her three or four years in a row but she was always either in a relationship or else it just wasn’t the right time. So she then said to them, ‘Look I’m not going to do it, but I’m sure my brother Jack would be up for it.’

“I then did a couple of interviews with the guys, and a few months later I found myself flying out to Mallorca and getting ready for Casa Amor. It was crazy, it all happened so fast.”

Were you always due to join the show in Casa Amor, or were you ever part of the original line-up? 

“They never said anything about the original line-up. I remember being in my old job, I was working in a social media job in London, and I got a call half-way through the day from one of the producers saying: ‘Pack your bags, you’re flying out as a bombshell in three weeks time.’ And then about two days before I was due to fly out, I got another call from a different producer being like: ‘We’re pushing you back a few weeks and you’re going to be in Casa Amor.’

“I never really wanted to be in Casa Amor to be honest. Obviously I was still going to do it, but I wanted to either be an original or a bombshell because those contestants tend to be a lot more successful on the show. Casa Amor doesn’t suit a slow-burner at all. You have to get your grafting boots on and get struck in. We only had about three days in Casa Amor, and the time goes by so quick in there.”

Have you stayed friends with anyone from your season? 

“Yeah I’m still friends with all the Casa Amor boys – Billy, George, Josh, Deji – we all chat a good bit. I also chat to Luca [Bish] a good bit, and some of the girls – like Paige [Thorne], Danica [Taylor] and Tasha [Ghouri]. We all run into each other a lot at events and on night’s out in London. So yeah, everyone is pretty close from our season.”

Didn’t you say before that there was a bit of a romantic connection between you and Paige?

“There was a little bit, yeah. To be honest, the vibe I got from most of the girls was that even if they were swept off their feet, they were still going to go back to the lads they were coupled up with. So it was tough. I did feel like I had a little connection with Paige in there…”

Did you slide into her DMs after she split from Adam Collard? 

He laughed: “No, I didn’t slide into her DMs. We do text the odd time, but there was no sliding. Definitely not.”

How did you find the show’s aftercare? 

“I thought it was great. The way they handled it was amazing, to be honest. Even now, a year later, the psychiatrists still check in and try to organise Zoom calls to see how you’re doing. It’s not like your kicked to the curb just because the next season is on, they’re very conscious to make sure people are able to deal with the crazy fame that can come after the show. People can go from working normal jobs to being one of the most talked-about people in the UK, and it can be a lot for people.”

Do you think you were a bit more prepped for the fame that comes with Love Island, given you grew up in the spotlight? 

“Yeah, for sure. I’ve spoken to a few people, I’m not going to name names, but people who definitely have struggled with the fame. People can be so nasty online, and contestants and their families have had to deal with so much hate. Thankfully I didn’t, but I do know a lot of people that did struggle.”

You were unlucky in love on Love Island, but you’ve since appeared on another dating show (Dinner Dates) and signed up to celebrity dating app Raya. How has your love life been recently? 

“Yeah Dinner Dates was fun, but I didn’t really have a connection with any of the girls unfortunately. None of them were really my type. And I’m definitely done with the dating apps now, I have such a love/hate relationship with them. So I’m off all them now.

“I’m still single, and still in the dating game…”

“I’m still single, and still in the dating game for sure. But I’m keeping my options open and not rushing into anything.”

Would you be open to signing up for another dating show? 

“Definitely. I’m always open to getting into more TV work. I’d love to do Celebs Go Dating or one of the bigger ones like Too Hot To Handle – I think that would be hilarious!”

Jack’s father Ronan shot to fame in 1993, when he became the lead singer of Irish band Boyzone. 

In 1998, when he was just 21-years-old, Ronan married model and TV personality Yvonne Connolly.

The couple welcomed their first child together, Jack, that same year and later welcomed two daughters – Missy and Ali. 

Ronan was married to Yvonne for 14 years, before they split for good in 2010.

I ask Jack about what life was like for him growing up with such interest in his family’s personal lives…

You grew up in the public eye, what was it like growing up in that world? Do you remember when you first realised your parents were famous?

“I think it did take a while for me to realise. I suppose because I was born into it, I didn’t really know any different. But when I was about 13/14, I think I finally started to understand the reality of it. When you’re a kid, you don’t really know your arse from your elbow. It’s only when you get older, you start to realise both the positive and negative sides to it.

“Overall, it’s been amazing. The opportunities that have come with it, I’ve got to do so many amazing things and meet so many amazing people. Myself and all of my siblings are so grateful for all the opportunities we’ve had.”

In 2010, Ronan met Australian TV producer Storm Uechtritz.

The couple tied the knot in 2015, and have since welcomed two children – Cooper and Coco. 

I had the pleasure of meeting Jack, Missy, Ronan and his wife Storm last summer at the Marie Keating Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic 2022.

One thing that stood out to me was how down-to-earth and grounded the family are, and I tell Jack this…

He says: “That’s definitely down to my parents, my uncles, my aunties, and Storm of course as well. We’ve been raised by some really great role models, so we can thank them for that.”

Did you ever have a hard time in school because your parents are famous?

“Ah yeah, of course. In primary and secondary school, people can just be little s**ts. I think everyone deals with bullying, and you’re an easy target at that age as well. So yeah, I did deal with a bit of bullying, but I feel like it’s given me a thick skin and has made me the person I am today. I wouldn’t say I’m grateful for it, but you also don’t want to go through life with everyone saying ‘Yes, yes, yes’ all the time. You want to have that character building, which I’m kind of happy I had as it’s made me who I am today.”

“I dealt with bullying at school…”

What are your thoughts on the nepo-baby term? 

Jack laughed, and said: “It’s such a hot topic right now. I mean, 100% you could say we are nepo-babies. But at the same time, that can only get you so far. Once you’ve got your foot in the door, it’s up to you to prove yourself. Like I’ve said, I’m very grateful for the opportunities that I’ve gotten, but I definitely want to put my own stamp on things.”

The Keating family have been grieving the loss of a beloved family member in recent weeks. 

Ronan’s older brother, and Jack’s uncle, Ciaran was tragically killed in a car crash in Co. Mayo last month. 

Understandably, this is not a topic Jack is keen to chat about right now. However, he does give us an update on how his family are coping during this difficult time…

It’s been a difficult few weeks for your family, how is everyone doing? 

“We’re hanging together, we’re all sticking together. It’s been a tough few weeks, but we’re holding it together for my dad, for my aunts and uncles, for my grandad… It’s been a big shock, but we’re pulling through.”

As we wrap up our chat, I ask Jack what’s next for him. He teases an exciting project with his sister Missy, and reveals his plans to follow in the footsteps of his father…

What’s next for you career wise? 

“Myself and Missy have something in the pipelines right now, which hopefully will be released in the next couple of weeks. We’re very excited, and we’ve put a lot of hard work and effort into it. So stay tuned for that!

“And then on the solo side of things, I’m definitely going down the performing side of things. Obviously with my dad’s connection to music, I want to explore that avenue a bit more. I don’t want to give away too much at the moment because everything is still in the works. Unfortunately I don’t have my dad’s singing talents, but I’m looking forward to going down the music path.”