Ronan Keating accepts phone hacking damages

Ronan Keating is the former frontman of Boyzone, and current host of Magic Radio breakfast and The One Show

Ex-Boyzone singer and presenter Ronan Keating has accepted "substantial" damages from News Group Newspapers over the phone hacking of his voicemails.

Keating's lawyers told a hearing at London's High Court that newspaper stories published between 1996 and 2011 had caused him "considerable distress".

They also led to him distrusting some of his closest friends, they added.

News Group Newspapers apologised for the distress caused by "individuals" in relation to the News of the World.

The newspaper closed in 2011. The phone-tapping scandal engulfed the UK print news industry and ultimately prompted the Leveson Inquiry.

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The pay-out amount has not been revealed, but the Magic Radio breakfast and The One Show TV host now considers the matter closed, the BBC understands.

He is the latest high-profile person to receive damages for historical phone hacking by tabloid reporters, including Noel Fielding and former footballer Ally McCoist.

In May, Keating was given a permanent spot on The One Show sofa after being officially being named as one of Alex Jones's co-hosts, along with ex-footballer Jermaine Jenas.

Keating has also co-hosted Magic Radio breakfast with Harriet Scott since 2017.